Robert M. Laughlin
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Robert Moody Laughlin (May 29, 1934 – May 28, 2020) was an American anthropologist and linguist. He was a curator at the Smithsonian Institution.
Work
[edit]Laughlin's research focused on the indigenous Maya peoples of Chiapas, Mexico and the Tzotzil language. In 1975, he published The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán, containing 30,000 entries.[1] He also published works on other aspects of Tzotzil culture, such as folktales and ethnobotany, and helped to found a local writer's cooperative, Sna Jtz'ibajom, and a theatre troupe. His work is credited with helping to standardize how the Tzotzil language is written and with reviving interest in indigenous languages in the region.
Death
[edit]Laughlin died from COVID-19 in Arlington, Virginia, one day short from his 86th birthday, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia.
References
[edit]- ^ Köhler, Ulrich (1978). "Review of The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán by Robert Laughlin". International Journal of American Linguistics. 44 (2): 156–159. doi:10.1086/465536. ISSN 0020-7071.
- "Robert Moody Laughlin papers · SOVA". Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- Genzlinger, Neil (2020-06-24). "Robert Laughlin, Preserver of a Mayan Language, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
