Distinguished Professor in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
Awards
Doctorate Honoris Causa
Academic background
Education
Ph.D. University of Michigan Linguistics
Academic work
Institutions
CUNY Graduate Center
Loraine Katherine Obler (born July 12, 1948)[1] is an American
linguist and
neuroscientist, internationally recognized as a leading scholar in the field of
neurolinguistics and
multilingualism.[2][3] She is known for her contributions to understanding how language-related behavior is controlled within the brain. Her work spans diverse sub-disciplines such as the neurolinguistics of bilingualism,[4] language processing in
aging and
Alzheimer's disease,[5] and the cross-language study of
aphasia.[6]
Obler is a Distinguished Professor at the
CUNY Graduate Center where she holds appointments in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Linguistics, and Cognitive Neuroscience. [7][8]
Obler completed her high school education at
Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City in 1966.[8] In 1969, she earned her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the
University of Michigan with a major in Studies in Religion. Following her undergraduate studies, she pursued her further education at the University of Michigan.[8] She obtained her first Master of Arts (M.A.) in Linguistics in 1970 and deepened her expertise by earning a second Master of Arts (M.A.) in Near East Studies in 1973 and her Ph.D. in Linguistics in 1975. Her dissertation was conducted under the supervision of Ernest T. Abdel-Massih and titled "Reflexes of the Classical Arabic šayʔun 'Thing' in the Modern Dialects: A Study in Patterns of Language Change."[11]
Obler has had a lifelong interest in learning languages. She grew up in a predominantly English-speaking environment, but developed skills in speaking and understanding Hebrew during yearly trips to Israel. During her high school years, she studied French, demonstrating a good reading ability. She also studied Spanish, German, and Chinese, achieving varying levels of proficiency, and dedicated four years to learning Arabic, focusing more on reading and writing than speaking.[12]
Obler's work has examined a wide range of topics including language comprehension and aging, language performance under stress. development of bilingualism in immigrant communities, language processing difficulties in
dementia, and
agrammatism. Her book with Martin Albert,The Bilingual Brain: Neuropsychological and Neurolinguistic Aspects of Bilingualism,[4] become an important reference in the emerging field of neurolinguistics. The volume examined how multiple languages are organized in the brain through a comparative analysis of first and second languages.[16] Obler has co-edited a number of scientific volumes. Language and Communication in the Elderly is a collection of articles by eminent researchers and clinicians exploring diagnostic and rehabilitive approaches to the language behavior of both normal and senile elderly persons.[17][18]Bilingualism across the Lifespan: Aspects of Acquisition, Maturity and Loss is a collection of papers on the development of language over the lifespan, bilingual language acquisition, and
language attrition.[19][20]
Albert, Martin L.; Obler, Loraine K. (1978). The Bilingual Brain: Neuropsychological and Neurolinguistic Aspects of Bilingualism. Elsevier Science.
ISBN978-0-12-048750-9.
Hyltenstam, Kenneth; Obler, Loraine K. (1989). Bilingualism across the lifespan: aspects of acquisition, maturity and loss. Cambridge New York Melbourne: Cambridge university press.
ISBN978-0-521-35225-3.
Menn, L., Obler, L. K., & Miceli, G. (Eds.). (1990). Agrammatic Aphasia: A Cross-language Narrative Sourcebook (Vol. 2). John Benjamins Publishing.
ISBN978-90-272-2045-5
Obler, Loraine K.; Albert, Martin L. (1980). Language and Communication in the Elderly: Clinical, Therapeutic, and Experimental Issues. Lexington Books.
ISBN978-0-669-03868-2.
Obler, L. K., & Fein, D. E. (1988). The Exceptional Brain: Neuropsychology of Talent and Special Abilities. Guilford Press.
Obler, L. K., & Gjerlow, K. (1999). Language and the Brain. Cambridge University Press.
Obler, Loraine K.; Albert, Martin L. (1981). "Language and Aging: A Neurobehavioral Analysis". In Beasley, Daniel S.; Davis, George Albyn (eds.). Aging, Communication Processes and Disorders. Grune & Stratton. pp. 107–121.
ISBN978-0-8089-1281-1.
^
abAlbert, Martin L.; Obler, Loraine K. (1978). The bilingual brain: neuropsychological and neurolinguistic aspects of bilingualism. Perspectives in neurolinguistics and psycholinguistics. New York: Academic Press.
ISBN978-0-12-048750-9.
^Obler, Loraine K.; Albert, Martin L. (1981). "Language and Aging: A Neurobehavioral Analysis". In Beasley, Daniel S.; Davis, George Albyn (eds.). Aging, Communication Processes and Disorders. Grune & Stratton. pp. 107–121.
ISBN978-0-8089-1281-1.
^Obler, Loraine K.; Albert, Martin L., eds. (1980). Language and communication in the elderly: clinical, therapeutic, and experimental issues. The Boston University series in gerontology. Lexington, Mass: Lexington Books.
ISBN978-0-669-03868-2.
^Wolf, Maryanne (June 1983). "Language and communication in the elderly. Loraine K. Obler & Martin L. Albert (Eds.). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1980. Pp xii + 220". Applied Psycholinguistics. 4 (2): 161–165.
doi:
10.1017/S0142716400004409.
S2CID145585928.
^Hyltenstam, Kenneth; Obler, Loraine K., eds. (1999). Bilingualism across the lifespan: aspects of acquisition, maturity, and loss (Reprinted, digital printing ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
ISBN978-0-521-35998-6.