Will Leben

I taught in the Department of Linguistics from 1972 to 2006 and still teach the occasional course. Over the years, I've spent a total of five years in West Africa, including two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger, two years in research and teaching in Nigeria, and a year or research and teaching in Cote d'Ivoire.

My main research interests are in linguistic tone and intonation, the structure of English vocabulary, African linguistics, and the use of language in advertising and in brand names.

After many years of consulting for Lexicon Branding, Inc., I'm now chair emeritus of Lexicon's linguistics program.

Academic Appointments

Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Linguistics

Honors & Awards

• Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, Stanford University (1977)
• Officier de l’Ordre du Mérite Ivoirien, République de Côte d'Ivoire (2014)

Professional Education

• Ph.D., M.I.T., Linguistics (1973)
• M.A., Northwestern U, Linguistics (1968)
• B.A., Boston College, Modern Language (1965)

Publications

• The phonetics of downstep in Abron and Adioukrou. Revealing structure edited by Buckley, E., Crane, T., Good, J. CSLI Publications. 2017
• Introduction to the Languages of the World Lyovin, A. V., Kessler, B., Leben, W. R. Oxford University Press. 2017
• The Nature(s) of Downstep SLAO/1er Colloque International Leben, W. R. Humboldt Kolleg. 2016
• Autosegments The Blackwell companion to phonology. Leben, W. R. Blackwell. 2011
• Phonological reflexes of emphasis in Kwa languages of Cote d'Ivoire West African Linguistics: Papers in Honor of Russell G. Schuh, Leben, W. R. Studies in African Linguistics. 2006
• Morphophonologie des langues kwa de Côte d’Ivoire Series: Grammatical Analyses of African Languages edited by Leben, W. R. 2006; 29