abt+faves
Not-so-frequently asked questions:
Who are you?
I’m a linguistics PhD student at the University of Michigan.
Do you have any other degrees?
Yes, since you asked, I have an MA in Linguistics from the University of Virginia, and a BA in Philosophy and Communication from American University. I mention my undergrad majors so that if you ever hear me start talking about Wittgenstein or McLuhan, you will not think I am talking entirely outside of my domain of expertise.
What do you study?
Mostly, I’m interested in linguistic practices on the internet and how they interact with linguistic practices in other modalities/through other media. I like variation and viewing online variation as a point of social salience; I also like language ideologies, particularly about written language and “proper” language, reflected in discourse both about and through online talk. I think these also intersect interestingly with beliefs about the kinds of social space formed by the internet(s).
Enough with words that start with inter-!
Sorry.
Wait. You’re saying you can get a PhD by writing about LOL and emoticons??
No. I’m saying I can get a PhD by writing about social functions and implications of the use of LOL and emoticons. Very different. Also note that no one is ever *really* sure that they are *actually* getting a PhD.
Are there other people doing what you’re doing?
Lots. You’ve got your internet researchers and your linguists, and then you’ve got those of us who are both.
Do you know a lot about code, CSS, HTML, and other geeky internet things?
I know almost nothing. If you know more than I do and ever want to help me make this site look and act better, PLEASE get in touch with me.
Where do you live? Where do you come from?
I live in Ann Arbor, MI. I came here from Charlottesville, VA, by way of Boston, DC, and unnamed boring towns in Missouri (with pit stops in Rome and Honolulu). I will always like Charlottesville best, though Ann Arbor has been growing on me ever since that one dance party in February.
You seem nerdy. Are you cool?
Very. Like, you would not even believe.
How’d you get interested in linguistics?
Weirdly, my interest in linguistics was originally piqued by the word “like” and its hegemonic rise over vernacular English.
Why do you use the phrases seems like and I think so much?
Because I am afraid of direct constative utterances. That, or because I am a woman.
Are you a tap dancer?
And how.
How can I email you?
Ell dot em dot squires at polyglotconspiracy dot net
Faves
Probabilistic Sociosyntaxiplasm
Of wind and wonder
The Social Life of Prescriptivism
Media and Sociolinguistics
Airquote Revolution
I’m worried about the internets
Inaccurate puns: one more strike at Kos!
Actually, the “new Facebook” debate IS interesting.
Put your comma where your semicolon is
Who is an English teacher invading Myspace helping?
(m)any is weird (for a [m]any)