The Robert W. Young Scholarship

Dr. Robert W. Young, professor emeritus of linguistics at the University of New Mexico, was an American linguist known for his work on the Navajo language. With Navajo scholar Dr. William Morgan, Young compiled the monumental work The Navajo Language: A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary, which was accompanied by a 400-page grammar sketch. Young, Morgan, and Sally Midgette also produced the Analytical Lexicon of Navajo, which organized the lexicon by root.

In 1996, Dr. Young and Dr. Morgan were honored in the Navajo Nation Council Chambers for their work on the Navajo Language. They were presented with Pendleton blankets embroidered with the seal of the Navajo Nation.

The Robert W. Young Scholarship was established in 1997 by Dr. Garland and Judy Bills to honor Dr. Young and his work. This scholarship supports students in the Department of Linguistics who are engaged in Native American Linguistics, offering awards ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 each semester. To date, the Robert W. Young Scholarship has supported over 30 UNM students and promoted the study of Indigenous language linguistics across the university. You can help honor Dr. Young and his pioneering work on the Diné language by giving to this scholarship fund below.