HRAF Global Scholar: María Belén Carpio
Title and institutional affiliation: Profesora Adjunta. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE)
Investigadora Adjunta. Instituto de Investigaciones Geohistóricas (IIGHI) (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/UNNE)
Research Topic: Language, Space, Indigenous Peoples, South American Chaco

HRAF Global Scholar María Belén Carpio is an adjunct professor at Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE) in Argentina. Her research interests focus on the morphosyntax of the language of the Qomlé’k/Toba Peoples of Western Formosa in Argentina and the comparison between genetically and areally related languages.

María is currently analyzing the conceptualization of space in Qomlé’k/Toba of Western Formosa (Guaicuruan linguistic family). She has been studying topological relations, frames of reference, and motion. In particular, the absolute frame of reference based on cardinal zones used by the Tobas of Western Formosa inspired the research project that she is working on using the eHRAF databases. Through access to the eHRAF databases, María is studying cross-culturally absolute frames of reference among Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. According to María, “The ways Indigenous Peoples talk about their surroundings can teach us a lot about environment, cognition, and grammar.”

HRAF is honored to feature María Belén Carpio as one of our HRAF Global Scholars for 2026. We wish her continued success with her research.

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