29.1392, Rising Stars: Meet Becca Peterson

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-29-1392. Thu Mar 29 2018. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 29.1392, Rising Stars: Meet Becca Peterson

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Editor for this issue: Clare Harshey <clare at linguistlist.org>
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Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2018 15:27:11
From: LINGUIST List [linguist at linguistlist.org]
Subject: Rising Stars: Meet Becca Peterson

 Dear Readers,

For several years, we have featured linguists with established careers and
interesting stories to tell. This year, we will also be highlighting “Rising
Stars” throughout our Fund Drive, undergraduates who were nominated by their
mentors for their exceptional interest in linguistics and eager participation
in the global community of language researchers.

Selected nominees were asked to share their view of the field of linguistics:
what topics they see emerging as important or especially interesting, what
role they see the field filling in the coming decades, and how they plan to
contribute. We hope you will enjoy the perspectives of these students, who
represent the bright future of our field.

Today, we are featuring Becca Peterson, a sophomore at Northeastern Illinois
University with a special interest in sociolinguistics and language attitudes.
She is the author of the award-winning play "Talking the Talk," whose story
hinges on "socioeconomic, racial, class, and regional communication
disconnects (and connections) among four speakers of differing varieties of
American English." 

******************************************************************

There are already numerous linguistic shifts and notions of awareness in terms
of political correctness that pertain to the English language. We see this
awareness when we think about the heightened awareness of gender as a
non-binary entity of the human condition and the increased use of gender
neutral pronouns. Many people are practicing these linguistic changes based on
their own value of inclusivity that in turn shape language. In decades to
come, my conjecture would be that a normalization of gender-neutral pronouns
will occur not only in English but in some other languages as well.

A linguistic ‘hot topic’ that I personally would like to see emerge is how
sexism is ingrained into the English language, both colloquial and formal. In
the media and in casual conversations, it is often normalized to refer to
women using animalistic terms such as ‘chicks’ and ‘bitches,’ or infantilizing
terms like ‘doll.’ We often hear of both men and women being referred to by
the term ‘bitch’ when that person exhibits a particular state of emotionality;
but having emotion is a human characteristic and not one exclusively of women.
However, people use the term in a derogatory sense to shame men and women for
displaying emotion by using a strictly female term, as ‘bitch’ refers to a
female dog. Many times, also, women’s occupational titles include their gender
– such as with the terms ‘actress’ or ‘waitress’ – which seems to me
irrelevant to a woman’s ability to hold and excel in any occupation. I do not
believe that it is at all necessary to make the distinction that the person
holding the job is a woman.

Another topic in linguistics that I feel is very important is the dismantling
of the idea that certain dialects are considered to be more standard or have
greater prestige compared to others. Dialects, regardless of which, have a
structure and certain logic to them that makes each unique and conveys a sense
of identity about the speakers of that dialect. There is no ‘standard’ English
dialect, and believing that there is such a thing perpetuates stigmas against
speakers of other varieties. Prescriptivist attitudes of language emerged in
order to separate social groups and assign a greater value to individuals who
learned, wrote, and spoke using prescriptive grammar. I would like to see this
fallacy that speakers of certain varieties are inherently uneducated fall off
and for a more descriptive view of English grammar to be accepted,
particularly in academic environments where students’ adherence to
prescriptive grammar is often held to a greater importance than students’
ideas and creative accomplishments.

As a creative writer myself, I attempted to bring this destigmatization of
so-called ‘non-standard’ dialects to light in a play that I wrote called
“Talking the Talk.” In the play, there are two characters in a hospital
waiting room, one who speaks African-American English dialect and one who
speaks a variety of Appalachian English. While both characters speak the same
language, they have trouble communicating with and understanding one another
due to their dialectical differences, particularly in terms of the slang they
use. At the end of the play, the doctor’s character, who speaks in some
highfalutin medical jargon, is introduced to give the impression that she is
highly educated, but then she ends up making some very miniscule grammar
mistakes that prescriptivists would criticize. I think the meshing of these
three characters in the end conveys my point that dialect is not an indication
of education or prestige.

I am an aspiring English teacher and I am fortunate to be able to work in an
environment where these conversations about language are relevant. Having an
awareness of how language might convey certain values is important, and the
great thing about the English discourse is that if the language we use does
not match our own values, we can modify our language use and in turn shape the
language. Languages naturally evolve in order to reflect the people who speak
it as well as their morals and values, so the power is not in the language
itself but in the speakers of the language. I intend to instill in my students
a sense of awareness and mindfulness regarding language.

******************************************************************

If you have a student who you believe is a “Rising Star” in linguistics, we
would love to hear about them! We are still accepting nominations for
exceptional young linguists. Please see the call for nominations for more
information: https://linguistlist.org/issues/29/29-831.html

If you have not yet–please visit our Fund Drive page to learn more about us
and why we need your help! The LINGUIST List relies on your generous donations
to continue its support of linguists around the world.

https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/

Gratefully,
The LINGUIST List Team



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