Ghil’ad Zuckermann

Professor Ghil'ad Zuckermann serves as Chair of Linguistics and Endangered Languages at the University of Adelaide, where he has established himself as a world-renowned expert in language revival and preservation. Recently listed among Australia's top 30 Living Legends of Research, he pioneered 'revivalistics,' a new transdisciplinary field studying language reclamation, revitalization, and reinvigoration. His groundbreaking work includes the revival of the Barngarla Aboriginal language in South Australia, where he has co-authored a trilogy of educational materials with the Barngarla community. His academic credentials include a D.Phil. from Oxford and Ph.D. from Cambridge, complemented by his status as a hyperpolyglot fluent in multiple languages. His research spans ten specialized fields, from language revival to forensic linguistics, and his publications include bestselling books with Oxford University Press and Palgrave Macmillan. As recipient of the 2023 Rubinlicht Prize for his contribution to Yiddish scholarship and holder of major research fellowships from both NHMRC and ARC, he advocates for Native Tongue Title and compensation for language loss. His work extends beyond academia through his role as an expert witness in courts globally and his creation of a MOOC on language revival that has attracted 20,000 learners from 190 countries.