Dr L.M. Rojas Berscia (Luis Miguel)
Assistant professor - Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
Assistant professor - Centre for Language Studies
Erasmusplein 1
6525 HT Nijmegen
Postbus 9103
6500 HD NIJMEGEN
I currently focus on the dynamics behind language emergence, diversification an obsolescence, as well as on the communicative place of lects in Western and non-Western linguistic ecologies. My work draws on first-hand data collected in the Amazon (Peru-Brazil), the Great Sandy Desert (Australia), Yilan County (Taiwan), Tierra del Fuego (Argentina-Chile), and, most recently, the city of Nijmegen (the Netherlands).
My current research interests are: Spanish lects spoken in the Bajo Huallaga region, Cleverlandic languages (Nimweegs, Ernems), the meaning of 'language loss', psychophytonymy (ayahuasca ritualistic lexicon in the Amazon), transcultural communication, as well as Indigenous anthroponymy.
I have a background in field sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, contact linguistics, formal syntax (Semantic Syntax), thanatology and TCFL (Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language).
Publications
- Schoenmakers, G.T. & Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2026). Investigating the tense contrast in parasitic gap constructions. Experimental data from different varieties of French and Spanish. Isogloss, 12 (2). doi: 10.5565/rev/isogloss.536
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (Interview) (2025, Sep 5). El poder de Labubu. Tres sílabas, una caja ciega y el juguete coleccionable que se volvió fenómeno global. [podcast]. In -. Jugo.pe. Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2025). Hacia una lingüística y filosofía del lenguaje shawi: sobre "nanan", su poder y la estructura icarística. América sin Nombre, 32, 73-86. doi: 10.14198/AMESN.27651 Full text
- Schramm, C., Duiker, T. & Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2025). Un bietje lope schume in de Onderstad. A Bayesian multivariate regression analysis of variation in Nimwèègs. Nota Bene. Journal for Linguistics in Belgium and the Netherlands, 2 (2), 389-412. doi: 10.1075/nb.00040.sch Full text
- Bourdeau, C.L.A. & Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2024). When words sail through the desert: The Songhay layer in Wolof. Nota Bene. Journal for Linguistics in Belgium and the Netherlands, 1 (2), 133-150. doi: 10.1075/nb.00013.bou Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Luciani Casanova, M.N., Luciani Ascencio, V., Vallejos Murillo, C. & Falcón Barriga, G.M. (2024). Arshitna 2 : ficha bilingüe del 2° primaria, kawki. Lima: Ministerio de Educación, Dirección General de Educación Básica Alternativa, Intercultural Bilingüe y de Servicios Educativos en el Ámbito Rural, Dirección de Educación Intercultural Bilingüe
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2024). Dynamic Linguistics. An apperitif. Nota Bene. Journal for Linguistics in Belgium and the Netherlands, 1 (1), 88-114. doi: 10.1075/nb.00006.roj Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2024). Ira RENIEC ingeinkotajiroti arintsitsasonoripage asi Peró (nomatsigenga). In El RENIEC al rescate de las lenguas originarias del Perú. Lima: Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2024). Ogari RENIEC okogake gara opega irinianeegi matsigenkaegi timaigatsirira aka Perooku (matsigenka). In El RENIEC al rescate de las lenguas originarias del Perú. Lima: Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2024). RENIEC oñakoyetajero maroni nantsipaye rashi atiri saikantarori nampitsi Peru (Ashaninka). In EL RENIEC al rescate de las lenguas originarias del Perú. Lima: Registro nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2024). RENIEC sahkatarin kanpua nanan a nanpikamare Piruke (Shawi). In El RENIEC al rescate de las lenguas originarias del Perú. Lima: Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2024). When Your Pronominal Marking Matters during a Pandemic. Shawi Pronominals and COVID-19 Interventions. Languages, 9 (5):178. doi: 10.3390/languages9050178 Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. & Vidot, T.S. (2024). Yankuwala! A Kukatja Learner's Guide. Level 1. Lima: Torre de Papel Ediciones Full text
- Babinski, S., Rojas Berscia, L.M. & Bowern, C. (2023). The Wati (Western Desert) subgroup of Pama-Nyungan. In C. Bowern (Ed.), The Oxford Guide to Australian Languages (pp. 893-917). Oxford: Oxford University Press doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198824978.003.0075 Full text
- Bourdeau, C.L.A. & Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2023). The contact-based emergence of the subject-focus construction in Wolof. Linguistics in the Netherlands, 40 (1), 4-22. doi: 10.1075/avt.00076.bou Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Bourdeau, C.L.A., Grondelaers, S.A. & Seuren, P.A.M. (2023). Antifunctionality in Shawi split ergativity, a processing analysis. Revista Brasileira de Linguística Antropológica, 15, 17-55. doi: 10.26512/rbla.v15i1.50748 Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Pérez Valderrama, M., Tangoa Pérez, S. & García García, L.G. (2023). La última canción: al encuentro de memorias del seeptsá entre Cachicoto y Juanjuí. Revista Brasileira de Linguística Antropológica, 15 (1), 93-111. doi: 10.26512/rbla.v15i1.47149 Full text
- Payano Iturrizaga, Y. & Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2022). Glosario cultural Jaqaru. Lengua de los Andes de Lima. Jaqarst 'a Nimat' jaysatpach aru. Lima: Academia Peruana de la Lengua
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Luciani Casanova, M.N., Luciani Ascencio, V. & Vallejos Murillo, C. (2022). Arshitna 1. Fichas de revitalización de Comunicación del 1º de Primaria - Kawki. Lima: Ministerio de Educación, Dirección de Educación Intercultural Bilingüe
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Lehecka, T., Claassen, S.A., Peute, A.A.K., Pinedo Escobedo, M., Pinedo Escobedo, S., Huiñapi Tango, A. & Yumi Pizango, E. (2022). Embedding in Shawi narrations. A quantitative analysis of embedding in a post-colonial Amazonian indigenous society. Language in Society, 51 (3), 427-451. doi: 10.1017/S0047404521000634 Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Huaninche Sachibo, H., Ríos Curico, K.E., Vallejos Murillo, C., Rodríguez Pereda, V. & Rivas Ugaz, T. (2022). Yuwanxa'nun 1. Fichas de revitalización de Comunicación del 1º de Primaria - Kapanawa. Lima: Ministerio de Educación, Dirección de Educación Intercultural Bilingüe Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2021). Prehistorical Language contact in Peruvian Amazonia. A Dynamic Approach to Shawi as a contact language (Contact Language Library, 58). Amsterdam: John Benjamins doi: 10.1075/coll.58
- Cabral, A.S.A.C., Xavante, E.W., Rojas Berscia, L.M. & Miranda, M. (2020). Distinção ternária de número e concordância em línguas Jê Centrais (Macro-Jê). In M. Miranda, Á..A..da.C. Borges, Á..C. Santana & S..A. Sousa (Eds.), Línguas e Culturas Macro-Jê. Saberes entrecuzados (pp. 353-392). Brasil: UFMT/GEDELLI Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2020). Mixing and semantic transparency in the genesis of Yilan Japanese. In N. Smith, T. Veenstra & E..O. Aboh (Eds.), Advances in Contact Linguistics. In honour of Pieter Muysken (Contact Language Library, 57) (pp. 261-282). Amsterdam: John Benjamins doi: 10.1075/coll.57.09roj
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Pereira, D.W. & Mehinaku Kuikuro, M. (2020). O português dos jovens da aldeia Afukuri notas sobre o contato linguístico no Alto Xingu. Revista Brasileira de Linguística Antropológica, 12, 17-35. doi: 10.26512/rbla.v12i1.31045
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2020). The Chachapuya language and Proto-Kawapanan. Lexical Affinities and Hypothetical Contact Scenarios. Indiana, 34 (1), 155-188. doi: 10.18441/ind.v37i1.155-188
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2019, April 4). From Kawapanan to Shawi: Topics in language variation and change. Radboud University (529 pag.) (Nijmegen: MPI) Supervisor(s): prof. dr. P.C. Muysken, prof. dr. S.C. Levinson, prof. dr. M. Dingemanse & dr. R. Zariquiey. Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2019). Nominalization in Shawi (Chayahuita). In R. Zariquiey, D.W. Fleck & M. Shibatani (Eds.), Nominalization in the Languages of the Americas (Typological Studies in Language, 124) (pp. 491-514). Amsterdam: John Benjamins doi: 10.1075/tsl.124.13roj
- Rojas Berscia, L.M., Napurí, A. & Wang, L. (2019). Shawi (Chayahuita). Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 50 (3), 417-430. doi: 10.1017/s0025100318000415
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. & Shi, J.A. (2017). Hakka as spoken in Suriname. In K. Yakpo & P.C. Muysken (Eds.), Boundaries and bridges. Language contact in multilingual ecologies (pp. 179-195). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton doi: 10.1515/9781614514886-007
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. & Bourdeau, C.L.A. (2017). Optional or syntactic ergativity in Shawi. Distribution and possible origins. Linguistic Discovery, 15 (1), 50-65. doi: 10.1349/ps1.1537-0852.a.481 Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2016). El vocabulario de la lengua xebera, una doctrina cristiana en xebero y quechua, y la gramática de la lengua xebera (siglo XVIII) [Book review El vocabulario de la lengua xebera, una doctrina cristiana en xebero y quechua, y la gramática de la lengua xebera (siglo XVIII)]. Lexis, 40(2), 479-489. doi: 10.18800/lexis.201602.010
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2016). Lóxoro. Traces of a contemporary Peruvian genderlect. Borealis. an International Journal of Hispanic Linguistics, 5 (1), 157-170. doi: 10.7557/1.5.1.3725 Full text
- Sánchez-Fernández, M.A. & Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2016). Vitalidad lingüística de la lengua paipai de Santa Catarina, Baja California. Liames. Línguas Indígenas Americanas, 16 (1), 157-183. doi: 10.20396/liames.v16i1.8646171 Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. & Ghavami-Dicker, S. (2015). Teonimia en el alto Amazonas, el caso de Kanpunama'. Escritura y Pensamiento, 18 (36), 117-145. Full text
- Rojas Berscia, L.M. (2014). Towards an ontological theory of language. Radical minimalism, memetic linguistics and linguistic engineering, prolegomena. Ianua, 14 (2), 69-81. Full text
Research grants and prizes
- 2025 - CLS Small Grant 2025-1
- 2024 - CLS Small Grant 2024-2
- 2024 - Accelerating Recovery Grant
- 2024 - CLS Small Grant 2024-1
- 2019 - AVT-ANÉLA PhD Dissertation Prize
Projects
- 2022 - 2025 Nimwèègs from a Dynamic point of view What is the communicative place of Nimwèègs in the linguistic landscape of Nijmegen? More information
- 2024 - From Kukatja to Yingkutja - the social meaning of language change in the Australian Great Sandy Desert More information
- 2024 - Language variation and change in the Upper Amazon: a new koiné? More information
- 2024 - 2025 Nijmegen City Linguist More information
- 2025 - 2026 Latin and Indigenous Traditions in Contact:a Study of Colonial Hispanic University Theses as instances of colonisation alphabétique and epistemic injustice
Teaching
Media mentions
- 21 May 2025 - Een Peruaanse polyglot als stadstaalkundige van Nijmegen More information
- 03 April 2024 - Nimweegs mot blieve!’ Waarom verdwijnt deze inheemse taal? More information
- 27 March 2024 - Hoe diep in de Amazone een nieuwe taal ontstaat (special vanaf InScience festival) More information
- 25 March 2024 - “Je hoeft niet ver te reizen om een grote taaldiversiteit te vinden.” More information
- 27 August 2018 - The Mystery of People Who Speak Dozens of Languages What can hyperpolyglots teach the rest of us?, by Judith Thurman More information
Ancillary activities
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Weekend seminars/mini-courses on Chinese language and culture for children and adults
(19 October 2024)
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru