About Us

Carolyn J MacKay

Carolyn MacKay earned an M.A. in Anthropology from the Universidad de las Americas, Puebla and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently a Professor of Language and Linguistics in the Department of English at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Her research focuses on documenting, describing, and analyzing the linguistic structure of two indigenous languages of Mexico — Misantla Totonac and Pisaflores Tepehua.  The goal of the research is to publish grammars, texts, dictionaries, and ethnographic details associated with language use and maintenance.  She and Frank R. Trechsel have published descriptive and theoretical articles based on the structure of Misantla Totonac and Pisaflores Tepehua, eg. reciprocal constructions, symmetrical objects, phonology, comitative constructions, etc.  She is currently working on determining the distribution and internal genetic relationships of languages within the Totonac-Tepehua area and reconstructing their ancestral language, proto-Totonac-Tepehua.

 She has also described and analyzed the linguistic structure of an Italian dialect, Basso-Bellunese Veneto, as it is spoken in Segusino, Italy and in the immigrant community of Chipilo, Mexico.  In all cases — Totonac, Tepehua, and Veneto — Dr. MacKay is interested in understanding how languages and language-use patterns change over time.   The interaction of language and social factors and the impact of these factors on minority language maintenance have implications for Totonac, Tepehua and Veneto.  To link to the Ball State University website, please click here.

Frank Trechsel

Frank R. Trechsel is a Professor of Language and Linguistics in the Department of English at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.  His research focuses on theoretical syntax, formal semantics, phonetics, phonology, Native American languages (Totonac, Tepehua, K’iche, Tzotzil, Jakaltek, Southern Tiwa).  To link to the Ball State University website, please click here.