Understanding the Heritage Speaker and Why It Matters for the Future of Language Teaching
Dr. Diego Pascual y Cabo – Director, Spanish Heritage Language Program & Research Lab and Associate Professor of Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Florida
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Join via Zoom.
Please contact Dr. Antoinette Barffour with any questions.
In the context of the United States, recent (and not-so-recent) demographic changes have brought about a substantial shift in the overall composition of the social, cultural and linguistic landscape. And although English continues to be the dominant language, and in many cases the only societal language, there are approximately 400 different so-called heritage languages also spoken in the home environment.
Highlighting current understandings gained through theoretical and empirical findings, we will discuss what makes heritage languages and their speakers a unique and important bi/multilingual phenomenon to study, to serve, and to promote. Because of its prominence in the context of the US, the discussion will focus on Spanish heritage speaker bilingualism, but insights from other heritage languages will also be provided.
The Sociolinguistics of Lisping
Dr. Sarah Lockenvitz – Associate Professor of Communication Sciences, Missouri State University
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Join via Zoom.
Please contact Dr. Antoinette Barffour with any questions.
Speech sound disorders represent one of the intersections between linguistics and speech-language pathology. Phonetic-type impairments, or articulation disorders, can include lisping, which refers to errors or distortions involving sibilant sounds such as /s/ and /z/. To present a framework for exploring the sociolinguistics of lisping, lisping is considered through the lens of identity construction, stigma theory, and qualitative analysis of the experiences of self-identified adults who lisp.
The Missouri State University Linguistics Colloquium Series is sponsored by the Missouri State University Linguistics Program.