His 1977 doctoral dissertation from the University of California , Berkeley , was on the grammar of Mutsun , a dialect of Ohlone ( a.k.a. Southern Costanoan ) , which is an extinct Utian language formerly spoken in the north central Californian coastal areas from Northern Costanoan down to 30 miles south of Salinas ( his dissertation was supervised by pioneering linguist Mary Haas ) .
His 1977 doctoral work from the University of California , Berkeley , was on the grammar of Mutsun , a dialect of Ohlone ( a.k.a. Southern Costanoan ) . Southern Costanoan is an extinct Utian language earlier spoken in the north central Californian coastal areas from Northern Costanoan down to 30 miles south of Salinas .