Marta Morgado is a Portuguese Deaf linguist and researcher specializing in the syntax of sign languages, language acquisition, and heritage languages. She earned her PhD in Linguistics at Leiden University and is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, where she investigates grammatical structures in sign languages with a particular focus on Portuguese Sign Language (Língua Gestual Portuguesa, LGP) and cross-linguistic variation in signed languages.
Academic Career
Morgado completed her doctoral studies in Linguistics at Leiden University, the Netherlands. Following her PhD, Morgado joined the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Her work there is part of projects examining the grammar and variation of sign languages, aiming to expand theoretical models of syntax and inform applied areas such as education and interpreter training[1].
Research Interests
Morgado’s research interests cover a range of topics within theoretical and applied linguistics, with a primary focus on:
- Syntax of sign languages, particularly clause structure and word order in LGP.
- Cross-linguistic variation in sign languages, exploring how different sign languages compare structurally and typologically.
- Heritage signers and the implications of heritage language acquisition for syntactic theory.
- Language acquisition in both signed and spoken modalities.
Her work combines formal syntactic theory with empirical data from native and heritage signers, reflecting a strong commitment to integrating deaf community perspectives into academic research[2][3].
Contributions and Impact
Morgado has contributed to the field of sign language linguistics through publications, conference presentations, and collaborative research. Her doctoral research is considered a pioneering syntactic study of LGP within a cartographic framework, filling a significant gap in the literature on this under-described language[4]. As a deaf researcher, she brings an insider perspective to the study of sign languages, enhancing the cultural and linguistic authenticity of her analyses and promoting inclusive research practices in linguistics[1][3].
- University of Birmingham. (n.d.). Dr Marta Morgado.
- ORCID. (n.d.). Marta Morgado.
- ResearchGate. (n.d.). Marta Morgado.
- Dias Da Silva Morgado Pereira, M. (2024). Personal experience narratives in three West African sign languages: the influence of time-depth, community size and social interaction. Leiden University.
