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Gabriel Gilbert

Class of 2023
Gabe Gilbert '23

Bio 

Aloha to the page of a wanderlusting writer juggling college life and several other hobbies into an eternally-short 24-hour day. I hope to shed light on the Dartmouth experience as I explore the brave new world of Hanover, NH and everything going to college here has to offer. In my free time, you can find me trying to learn a new language or building the perfect Spotify playlist (alternative/indie, anyone?). I hope you enjoy!

Academic Program 

Linguistics

Favorite Thing Right Now 

Fantasy novels and homemade poke!

Hometown 

Stafford, Virginia

Pronouns 

he/him/his

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Gabriel's D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Indigistory

      Taught by Gordon Henry, an Anishinaabe poet and author, this class taught me to explore Indigenous storytelling within digital contexts. I took this class with only seven other classmates, allowing us to really engage with films, comic books, and television shows in Indigenous languages or produced by Indigenous artists.

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Historical Linguistics

      Taught by Timothy Pulju, this class taught me how to identify and understand how languages evolve over time and why. I analyzed and reconstructed fictional languages of imaginary nations in order to understand the link between language and culture, and ended up having such an appreciation for the complexity and beauty of language's place in history!

    • SpringMyrtle Beach, SC

      Favorite Class: The End of the World

      Taught by Lindsay Whaley, this class let me discover a newfound love for ancient apocalyptic literature. We analyzed ancient texts and compared them to modern apocalypses, looking at the zombie apocalypse phenomenon and other apocalypses in pop culture and comparing them to the ancient tradition of writing apocalypses. Additionally, I learned the Greek alphabet and now I can even stumble through ancient Greek passages.

    • FallNew Orleans, LA

      Favorite Class: Field Methods

      Taught and organized by David Peterson, this class let me get into the shoes of a real linguist as we did fieldwork (virtually!!) with the Zophei language. I learned how to describe a never-before-learned language's phonology (sound system), how to characterize its grammar and words, and ultimately got to present my research to experts in the language family around the world in a workshop at the end of the term!

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Native American Literature and the Law

      Taught by N. Bruce Duthu, this class taught me how Native literature can provide lens by which to evaluate, critique, and ultimately revise Federal Indian Law. During this class, I read works by Native authors like Tommy Orange and Louise Erdrich '76 alongside the opinions of definitive case opinions in American law and explained how literature can be a catalyst for Indigenous sovereignty.

    • SpringMyrtle Beach, SC

      Favorite Class: Undergraduate Research

      Supervised by N. Bruce Duthu, I spent this off-term performing research after being awarded a Sophomore Research Scholarship to study contemporary Hawaiian cultural and linguistic revitalization. I studied 19th-century newspapers and contemporary Hawaiian texts in order to understand how Hawaiian language revitalization both past and present has advanced and continues to enable a contemporary bodied Hawaiian politic of sovereignty.

    • SummerHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Morphology

      Taught by Laura McPherson, this class taught me about how languages create meaning through words. During this class, I learned how to analyze different languages' morphological processes and compare different approaches within the field as to morphological structures.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Indian Country Today

      Taught by N. Bruce Duthu, this class offered me a glimpse into the lived realities of Native people in Indian Country Today. I learned about the economic, social, cultural, and historical roots for the struggles of Indigenous people today within the United States, and was able to write about the contemporary battle for Native Hawaiian visibility and Hawaiian sovereignty.

    • WinterHilo, HI

      Favorite Class: Language Documentation

      Taught by Laura McPherson, this class taught me how to engage in language documentation and how, as a linguist, we can put our skills to use to help communities seeking to document and revitalize their languages. I worked on the Satawalese language, spoken on the island of Satawal in the Federated States of Micronesia. Ultimately, my team created two dictionaries - one in English, one in Hawaiian, a website, and several materials that focused on the Satawalese tradition of wayfinding and non-instrumental ocean navigation.

Moments on Campus: My First Spring Term!

Three weeks out from the end of my first spring on campus, here are a few of my favorite things thus far!

  1. No. 1

    Flowers in bloom!

    White flowers on a tree at night on campus

    When we arrived on campus, I definitely caught the tail-end of an Upper Valley winter. I forgot what snow looked like, to which Hanover opted for a quick reminder. But over the term, we’ve gotten to enjoy some increasingly amazing weather. Seeing the flowers emerge has been an unexpected but welcome treat.

  2. No. 2

    Grand entry at Powwow!

    Parade of Native people dressed in regalia as they march out into arena for Dartmouth annual powwow's grand entry.

    Chills ran down my spine at this year’s annual powwow. One of the few Dartmouth events allowed to be held on the Green, it was a gathering of Indigenous people from around the country and also a reunion for Dartmouth’s Native students. The grand entry starts the powwow: participants walk into the arena to a drum song together, led by invited guests and in a specific order. This was my first powwow, and just watching so many alumni—many of them wearing their traditional regalia—reminded me of how much of a legacy Dartmouth has in regards to Native students. Won’t be forgetting this day anytime soon.

  3. No. 3

    Spring sunsets!

    Image of a pink and purple sky behind Baker Library from the Dartmouth Green.

    Not sure what’s in the air, but the sunsets this term have been incredible. I’ve seen purple, pink, green skies and experienced some picnics on the Green to these amazing atmospheres. Honestly just amazing.

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Posted 05/16/2022 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts

Winter in Hawaiʻi: Linguistics DSP 2022 Highlights!

As I return to campus to start my junior spring, I can't help scrolling through my photos and seeing all of the amazing experiences our Linguistics DSP had in Hawaiʻi. Here are some highlights.

  1. No. 1

    Harvesting kalo at Hoʻokuaʻāīna!

    Image of Hoʻokuaʻāina, a loʻi in Oʻahu where the local Hawaiian community comes together to plant kalo.

    Our first excursion was to a loʻi in eastern Oʻahu known as Hoʻokuaʻāina. Here, kalo (known as taro), is planted in the wetland style, submerged under water. As a nonprofit organization, Hoʻokuaʻāina employs local residents and teaches the local community about Hawaiian culture. Headed by Native Hawaiians, we learned about Hawaiian culture, heard stores that explained kalo's significance to the Hawaiian people, and even got involved in harvesting the kalo. We all ended up waist-deep in the muddy water of the loʻi, but got to harvest and weed alongside some incredible people. Couldn't have had a better introductory excursion for our DSP!

  2. No. 2

    Traveling around Hawaiʻi!

    Image of a few Linguistics students during the Linguistics DSP to Hawaiʻi from January to March 2022. At Laupahoehoe.

    When we weren't learning Hawaiian or documenting Micronesian languages, we tried to spend as much time as possible exploring the island on our own. Coastline drives along scenic routes meant plenty of possible time spent finding the best views. This picture was taken at Laupāhoehoe on Big Island. The water was so clear, you could see fish swimming around at your feet. Additionally, it was a great time to bond with some of the other students, most of whom I'd never had a longer conversation with. I really enjoyed being able to meet my classmates and explore with them - amazing people who I'm glad aren't just friendly faces anymore!

  3. No. 3

    Touring ʻIolani Palace in downtown Waikīkī!

    Image of Gabriel Gilbert, Sheen Kim, and Aaní Perkins in front of ʻIolani Palace.

    One of our excursions was a guided tour of ʻIolani Palace, where we learned about some of the ruling chiefs and monarchs in Hawaiʻi. Because the palace was the residence of the monarchs Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, walking around their living quarters and learning about the different events and ceremonies that had transpired there was pretty surreal. Experiences like these where we get to see the places and people we've read about in person really empowered our learning experiences. For most of my life, I'd read about the palace and its residents in Hawaiian history, and yet to walk around a building that had electricity before the White House? Just incredible.

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Posted 04/4/2022 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts

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