= Bernard Comrie
{c}
<Bernard Comrie> is a <linguist> specializing in <linguistic typology> and historical comparisons of <languages>. His research includes <grammatical tense>, <grammatical voice> and numeral systems, with fieldwork in geographically distant communities. His own account emphasizes examining many different kinds of <language> when assessing generalizations.<Research profile by Bernard Comrie>[Specialization and autobiographical research statement]{ref}
A simple methodological example shows why this matters. English can form a <passive voice> construction such as `The pump was repaired`. Finding that construction in one <language> establishes a possibility, while a claim about all <languages> requires much wider evidence and explicit criteria for recognizing the relevant construction. This illustrates the difference between a description and a proposed cross-language generalization.
<Bernard Comrie> co-developed the <Leipzig Glossing Rules by Bernard Comrie and others> with <Martin Haspelmath> and <Balthasar Bickel>. The conventions expose how a proposed analysis segments and labels an expression, helping other researchers evaluate it.<Leipzig Glossing Rules by Bernard Comrie and others>[About the rules and developer credit]{ref}
\Image[https://linguistics.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/styles/max_325x325/public/2025-08/BernardPhoto2012.jpg?itok=677WBoWX]
{title=Portrait of <Bernard Comrie>}
{description=Named headshot linked from his https://linguistics.ucsb.edu/people/bernard-comrie[official institutional profile].}
{width=200}
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