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[ ˈnɪkəlɪs ˈɹoli ]
I am an Assistant Professor in the Program in Linguistics at Princeton University, and recently held a research position at the Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS) in Berlin, Germany. I have a PhD (2018) from the Department of Linguistics at UC Berkeley.
My research focuses on the sound patterns of human language (i.e. phonology), especially as they interact with word structure (i.e. morphology) and sentence structure (i.e. syntax). Individual topics include grammatical tone, the interaction of tone/pitch and segments, vowel harmony, prosodic constituency, paradigm uniformity effects, allomorphy, and clitic alignment — see my Research page for more. A major component of this work involves careful typological and descriptive work on African languages, especially those of the Niger-Congo language family stretching across the continent. Crucial to these efforts is in situ data collection and collaboration with communities in Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
For a complete list of publications, see my CV. And feel free to contact me!
Recent news
Jan 2025 — We have confirmed an amazing line-up of speakers for our upcoming Princeton Phonology Forum (PɸF 2025 — April 18-19) on “Sound Patterns and Human History” [free registration]
nrolle [AT] princeton [DOT] edu
Program in Linguistics, Princeton University
Green Hall, 1-S-16
Office Hours: Tuesdays 4:30-5:30p (or by appointment)
Website updated 2025 Jan 7