Prof. Betsy Sneller (MSU) and PhD candidate Daniel Greeson (Stony Brook University)’s paper “Distinct Phonological Reanalysis Patterns in Michigan English TRAP” was recently published in Proceedings of the 48th Annual Penn Linguistics Conference. The article is available on UPenn’s repository.
Congratulations, Betsy and Daniel!
(more…)This July, Emily Duggan (MA Linguistics 2025) successfully defended her thesis “Lesbian vs. Dyke: An examination of the differences in social meaning between two queer identity terms”. Emily was advised by Prof. Suzanne Wagner, and her committee included Suzanne, Betsy Sneller, and Karthik Durvasula. The thesis is currently available on ProQuest and will later become available on the MSU Library's thesis archive. Congratulations, Emily! Abstract This thesis constitutes a two-part, descriptive research study investigating perceived differences in indexical meaning between the identity terms lesbian and dyke for members of the L1 English-speaking LGBTQ+ community in the United States. The study tested the hypothesis that the meanings of lesbian and dyke have become more similar over time. Results from an initial survey eliciting free associations with the target words suggest that the primary zones of indexical difference between lesbian and dyke for this community are gender identity and expression of the referent. One of the association categories most commonly evoked by lesbian was ‘woman/non-man,’ while one of the association categories most commonly evoked by dyke was ‘masculine/butch/gender non-conforming.’ These indexical mappings and others were confirmed in a second survey, in which respondents rated the strength of association between a subset of elicited descriptors (including ‘woman,’ ‘woman and/or nonbinary,’ ‘femininity,’ and ‘masculinity’) and the identity terms lesbian and dyke. However, contrary to the above hypothesis, the youngest generation of participants were found to report the highest degree of difference between lesbian and dyke for many descriptors. This thesis serves as a model for future studies investigating the nuances of identity language and examines how the phenomenon of semantic change might be viewed through a sociolinguistic lens.
Lab member Jess Shepherd (Linguistics PhD) recently had a paper published in the Journal of English Linguistics. The paper is titled “LTH Affrication: A sociolinguistic indicator in the American West” and is authored by Joey Stanley (Brigham Young University) and Jess Shepherd.
Congratulations, Jess!
(more…)Students and faculty working on our major research project, MI Diaries, were at the MSU Science Festival again this year. We talked with community members of all ages at the STEAM Expo Day on April 5, 2025. Read more about it at the MI Diaries website. MI Diaries team member Hamlin Teng asks a visitor if she says pop or soda.
We're hiring! Come and work in the Sociolinguistics Lab under the direction of Dr. Betsy Sneller. Position description The successful applicant will join the MI Diaries project, which is collecting sociolinguistic data from Michiganders across the state. The position primarily will be in helping the MI Diaries project develop partnerships with middle and high school classrooms across the state, developing lesson plans for grades 5-10 based on MI Diaries data (in partnership with WGVU PBS Station), supporting project maintenance, and developing reports or manuscripts about community outreach in collaboration with the principal investigator (Betsy Sneller). We especially invite applicants with a record of success in both sociolinguistics and K-12 Education, as working with schools is a critical component of this position. There are no required teaching responsibilities for the position. Important dates Applications accepted from April 25, 2025 onwards. Review of applications will begin June 1, 2025. The position will remain open until filled. More information See the full position description at MSU Careers.