Robbins Burling (April 18, 1926 – January 2, 2021) was an American professor of anthropology and sociolinguistics.
From 1959-1960, Burling was a visiting lecturer, Fulbright Program, in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Rangoon, Burma.
His books include Hill Farms and Padi Fields: Life in Mainland Southeast Asia, English in Black and White, The Passage of Power: Studies in Political Succession, The Strong Women of Madhupur (1997) and The Talking Ape: How Language Evolved.
On the occasion of Robbins Burling's 90th birthday, a Festschrift was presented to him following his plenary lecture at the 8th International Conference of the North East Indian Linguistics Society (NEILS) at Tezpur University in Assam, India.
Shortly after finishing college, Burling married Sibyl (née Straub).