Dr. William Leben

Biography

William R. Leben is a Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at Stanford University, where he has contributed significantly to the field since 1972. He has taught a variety of courses, primarily focusing on phonological theory, tone and intonation, English word structure, and phonetics, with a particular interest in African languages. Leben has spent five years in West Africa, including time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger and in academic roles in Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire. His main research interests encompass linguistic tone, intonation, English vocabulary structure, and the use of language in advertising brand names. He has served as chair of the Department of Linguistics from 1992 to 1996 and has also been involved in consulting for Lexicon Branding, Inc., where he is chair emeritus of the linguistics program. His contributions to education have been recognized with the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Stanford University in 1977, and he was honored as Officier de l’Ordre du Mérite Ivoirien in 2014.

Research Interests