37.1478, FYI: Public Lecture by Professor John Baugh

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-1478. Fri Apr 17 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.1478, FYI: Public Lecture by Professor John Baugh

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Date: 17-Apr-2026
From: Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics [aifl_comms at aston.ac.uk]
Subject: Public Lecture by Professor John Baugh


You are all cordially invited by the Aston Institute for Forensic
Linguistics to a public lecture by Professor John Baugh (Rice
University) on Tuesday 12th May 2:00 - 3:30 at Aston University (Room
MB419)
If interested, please register on Eventbrite at this link as spaces
are limited:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/big-city-monkey-business-tickets-1985711387213?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
Abstract: This presentation examines linguistic analyses conducted in
two legal cases involving African American men, variously as
plaintiffs or defendants. The first case centers on a civil
class-action lawsuit brought by African-born plaintiffs who acquired
English as a second language. The plaintiffs alleged a hostile work
environment, and the case was litigated with the involvement of the
United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Linguistic
evidence in this case focused on patterns of language-based
discrimination and alleged differences regarding semantic
interpretations. The second case involves a capital murder trial in
which the defendant—an economically disadvantaged young African
American man—elected to represent himself despite facing the death
penalty. In this context, linguistic analysis addressed issues of
alleged racial bias and pragmatic ambiguity, particularly regarding
courtroom actions by judges and prosecutors, raising questions of
fairness that resulted in contentious legal outcomes.
In both cases, John Baugh served as an expert witness, employing
survey research methods in the criminal case and discourse-analytic
approaches in the civil trial to illuminate how language variation and
interpretation can influence judicial proceedings.
Speaker Bio:
John Baugh serves Rice University as the Barbara Jordan Distinguished
Professor of Linguistics. He is a past president of the Linguistic
Society of America and the American Dialect Society. He is a fellow of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the
Linguistic Society of America, and the American Dialect Society. A
former fellow of the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral
Sciences, he is also the Margaret Bush Wilson Distinguished University
Professor Emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis, and
Professor Emeritus of Education and Linguistics at Stanford
University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Oracle
Education Foundation and a member of the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                     Forensic Linguistics
                     Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)




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