Una Canger
Encyclopedia
Una Canger (born May 14, 1938) is a Danish linguist specializing in languages of Mesoamerica
. She has published mostly about the Nahuatl language with a particular focus on the dialectology
of Modern Nahuatl
, and is considered among the world's leading specialists in this area. She held tenure at the University of Copenhagen
, leading the department for Native American Languages and Cultures until she reached the age of 70 in 2008 and was forced into retirement.
Daughter of the famous Danish architect Steen Eiler Rasmussen
, she was admitted as the first female student in the department of Linguistics
in University of Copenhagen
, where she became interested the theories of Louis Hjelmslev
. Later she received her Ph.D. from Berkeley
in 1968, her thesis being a glossematic grammar of the Mayan language Mam
. She worked with Mayan languages
for a while, particularly Mam
, Teco
, and Lacandón
. After being offered a position at the University of Copenhagen, she began studying Classical Nahuatl
, leading to her later descriptive and dialectological work on modern Nahuatl.
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
. She has published mostly about the Nahuatl language with a particular focus on the dialectology
Dialectology
Dialectology is the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. It studies variations in language based primarily on geographic distribution and their associated features...
of Modern Nahuatl
Nahuatl dialects
The many dialects of the Nahuatl language belong to the Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, and form a group of linguistic varieties spoken in central Mexico...
, and is considered among the world's leading specialists in this area. She held tenure at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, leading the department for Native American Languages and Cultures until she reached the age of 70 in 2008 and was forced into retirement.
Daughter of the famous Danish architect Steen Eiler Rasmussen
Steen Eiler Rasmussen
Steen Eiler Rasmussen was a Danish architect and urban planner who was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and a prolific writer of books and poetry...
, she was admitted as the first female student in the department of Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
in University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, where she became interested the theories of Louis Hjelmslev
Louis Hjelmslev
Louis Hjelmslev was a Danish linguist whose ideas formed the basis of the Copenhagen School of linguistics. Born into an academic family , Hjelmslev studied comparative linguistics in Copenhagen, Prague and Paris...
. Later she received her Ph.D. from Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1968, her thesis being a glossematic grammar of the Mayan language Mam
Mam language
Mam is a Mayan language with almost 480,000 speakers as of 2002, spoken in the Mexican state of Chiapas and the Guatemalan departments of Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango and San Marcos....
. She worked with Mayan languages
Mayan languages
The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras...
for a while, particularly Mam
Mam language
Mam is a Mayan language with almost 480,000 speakers as of 2002, spoken in the Mexican state of Chiapas and the Guatemalan departments of Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango and San Marcos....
, Teco
Tektitek language
The Tektitek language is a member of the Quichean–Mamean branch of the Mayan language family. It is very closely related to the Mam language. Tektikek is spoken by the Tektitek people, which are primarily settled in the municipality of Tectitán, department of Huehuetenango. A number of Tektitek...
, and Lacandón
Lacandon
The Lacandon are one of the Maya peoples who live in the jungles of the Mexican state of Chiapas, near the southern border with Guatemala. Their homeland, the Lacandon Jungle, lies along the Mexican side of the Usumacinta River and its tributaries. The Lacandon are one of the most isolated and...
. After being offered a position at the University of Copenhagen, she began studying Classical Nahuatl
Classical Nahuatl
Classical Nahuatl is a term used to describe the variants of the Nahuatl language that were spoken in the Valley of Mexico — and central Mexico as a lingua franca — at the time of the 16th-century Spanish conquest of Mexico...
, leading to her later descriptive and dialectological work on modern Nahuatl.