I’m a research student at the University of Edinburgh doing a PhD in linguistics, and a recipient of a Becas Chile scholarship granted by ANID (Chilean Government). I’m currently working on the field of Historical linguistics, under the supervision of Dr Benjamin Molineaux and Dr Patrick Honeybone.
I am interested in the historical trajectories of Mapudungun (ISO: ARN) phonology and morphology. Since Mapudungun is considered a language isolate, different techniques are used to unveil the ancestral stages of the language. I am currently studying morphophonological alternations that affect roots and other morphemes. By applying what is called internal reconstruction in Historical Linguistics, as well as the assumptions and predictions of particular linguistic frameworks, my objective is to trace ancestral phonological trajectories in this language.
I hold an MA on Applied Linguistics from the University of Concepción, Chile. I’m interested on Mapudungun’s (iso ARN, isolated) phonetics and phonology, as well as in the preparation of educational materials to teach Mapudungun. I have participated in the publication of materials aimed at promoting the revitalisation of Mapudungun.
My MA thesis is about phoneme frequency in Mapudungun, in which I studied this phonological feature using a list of mono-morphemic lexical units prepared from Augusta’s Dictionary, first published in 1916 and edited in 2017. This thesis can be viewed and downloaded here (in Spanish).
Mapudungun morphology and phonology
Historical linguistics
Language revitalization of Mapudungun
I am the co-organiser of ETHL, Edinburgh Theoretical Historical Linguistics, a venue for young researchers in Historical Linguistics to engage in theoretical discussion over issues at the intersection of theoretical and historical linguistics
In April 2025, we organised the first ETHL Seminar 2025, with four seminars that provided insights into various aspects of our field. We are currently organising an ETHL 2026 Summer School, envisioned as an introduction “into the what and why of theoretical historical linguistics”.