Dr. Richard Meier

Biography

Richard P. Meier is a professor in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has been a faculty member since 1986. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of California, San Diego. Prof. Meier's research focuses on linguistics, signed languages, language acquisition, and the visual-gestural modality of sign language compared to the oral-aural modality of speech. His publications examine the acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) by deaf children, as well as the broader historical demography of the American Deaf community in the 19th century. Meier has served as Associate Vice President for Research at UT Austin from 1996 to 1999 and directed the ASL language program in the Department of Linguistics from 2000 to 2010. He has also been the chair of the Department of Linguistics from 2006 to 2023 and held the Robert D. King Centennial Professorship in Liberal Arts from 2010 to 2023. Currently, he serves as the Dean’s Advisor for Languages and Area Studies. Prof. Meier is committed to bringing ASL language instruction to the college and actively contributes to the understanding of child language development influenced by the modality of the languages learned.

Research Interests

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