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In Memory of Tucker Childs
We are sad to report the death of professor, colleague, and friend Tucker Childs on January 26, 2021 in Portland, Oregon, due to complications related to legionella.
Tucker was a well-known scholar in African linguistics, having received the 2018 Kenneth L. Hale Award from the Linguistic Society of America for his work on a West African language group.
He had been in the PSU Department of Applied Linguistics for almost 25 years. Many students and alumni will remember his Phonetics and Phonology courses, among others, and his stalwart support of the department’s First Friday events at Hot Lips Pizza. Tucker’s attempts to project a curmudgeonly exterior were belied by the kindness he demonstrated to colleagues, students, and friends in so many ways. He will be sorely missed. Read a more complete memorial to Tucker here.
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| Student Profiles:
Phoebe Cordova and Glynnis McBride, LING 390 and LING 392 Applied Linguistics tutors for
Winter and Spring 2021
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Phoebe Cordova
Hello everyone! My name is Phoebe and I am looking forward to being a tutor for LING 390 and LING 392. I am in my final year at PSU and I am excited to get to help out in the classes that helped me initially fall in love with linguistics and connect with fellow students, even if it's virtually. I am especially interested in Phonology and prosodic features, particularly intonation. I am a Spanish minor and have also just begun learning Russian! I hope students feel free to come to a session with specific questions, for additional practice/review or to just chat about linguistics. Despite our remote circumstances, I think we will have ample opportunities to explore language together and I am looking forward to this term!
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Glynnis McBride
My name is Glynnis McBride and I am an Applied Linguistics major, Spanish minor. My pronouns are she/her/they. I love linguistics and I am excited to explore the subject with all of you. I am here every Friday afternoon from 12:30 - 3:30 and I am happy to help. You do not need an appointment, just drop into my tutoring sessions using the Zoom link on your course D2L site.
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Applied Linguistics students contribute to the UMAP project with PSU's Homelessness Research Action Collaborative
This term undergraduate students Dani Jochums and Kerime Umut, graduate student Justine Schade, and BA alum Ben Relampagos continue Activist Applied Linguistics work in the department by contributing to the Unpacking Meaning, Assumptions, and Priorities in Discourses of Homelessness (UMAP) project. This project seeks to examine the language people use when they talk about homelessness in order to articulate perspectives and priorities of diverse stakeholders. It is supported by PSU’s Homelessness Research Action Collaborative (HRAC). As part of the Changing Narrative and Creating Action research strand of HRAC, the UMAP project contributes to efforts to change the discourse around homelessness, find common ground between stakeholders, and work towards equitable housing. UMAP uses Q-methodology, a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative analysis, to study people’s subjective perceptions of homelessness.
The UMAP project is a partnership between PSU (Applied Linguistics and Environmental Science and Management) and Street Roots. It engages with community stakeholders to produce and hold workshops that foster dialogue on diverse perspectives and solutions for homelessness. Results from the UMAP project will empower marginalized stakeholders in articulating and including their concerns into mainstream discourse.
Currently, the UMAP team is gathering data from stakeholders in the Portland Metropolitan area from diverse backgrounds and experiences to inform the creation of Q-statements. The team is analyzing data from a wide variety of sources including corpora of neighborhood forums, city government documents, newspapers, comedy scripts, and one-on-one interviews with stakeholders (e.g., business owners, neighborhood associations, staff of the homeless youth continuum).
If you are interested in engaging with this project and joining the research team, email Prof. Janet Cowal at cowalj@pdx.edu
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LAMP project (Language Around Metropolitan Portland) will present an analysis of homemade signage in Portland at the AAAL conference in March 2021
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Janet Cowal, John Hellermann, Jenny Mittelstaedt, and Steve Thorne will be presenting aspects of their ongoing analysis of handmade signage in the Portland metropolitan area at the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) conference in March and at the International Pragmatics Association (IPrA) conference this summer.
The work builds on the long-term LAMP project (Language Around Metropolitan Portland), which focuses on getting undergrads involved in research in our local community, to assemble a more nuanced view of the way languages and dialects are used by residents. After some students in Janet Cowal's LING 435 class in Spring 2020 collected some data on COVID-related signage that was appearing in the area, LAMP faculty members decided to spend a few weeks in June 2020 collecting examples of signage related to COVID-19 and to anti-racism messages, following the murder of George Floyd on May 25.
The upcoming conference presentations will focus on characterizing the database of approximately 350 signs, looking at speech acts, placement on public or private property, materials used, degree of permanence, intended audience, the meaning of "transgression," and expressions of hope and mourning. The LAMP group meets regularly during Winter term; email jhm@pdx.edu if you are interested in joining us or would like to know more. Undergrads and grad students are welcome!
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Fall term Senior Seminar students created prototypes of non-legalese materials
Activist Applied Linguistics was the topic of the Applied Linguistics Senior Seminar (LING 407) led this past Fall 2020 by Janet Cowal. The class partnered with the Clatsop County Circuit Court (CCCC) and the Oregon Justice Department (OJD) on a project to increase access to justice by creating prototypes of “non-legalese” materials for the public.
Members of the CCCC and OJD zoomed in to present and give context and background information on court forms and instructions that needed to be made more accessible to the public. The OJD added an additional challenge: because only attorneys are allowed to provide legal advice, our task was to provide guidance without giving advice. As applied linguists, we were so well prepared to take on this project! Students suggested re-wording, lowered reading levels and created infographics, brochures, and flyers for helping the public to navigate the legal system.
In addition, students offered suggestions for improving the OJD website and digital accessibility (e.g., QR codes). All this while being careful neither to change laws nor present legal advice. The CCCC, OJD, members of the Oregon State Bar (OSB), and even a circuit court judge zoomed in for students’ final presentations. The CCCC, OJD, and OSB were very excited and impressed with our deliverables and want to grow the partnership with our department. It was thrilling to work together and see how the knowledge and skills acquired through our BA program could be used in the real world to make positive social change!
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Upcoming Information Sessions
Interested in a major/minor in Applied Linguistics or TESL certificate? Attend our next information session:
February 25th, 12-1 pm
Are you ready to pursue a graduate degree? Upcoming MA TESOL info session dates:
February 12th, 1-2:30 pm
March 12th, 1-2:30 pm
Can't attend either of these sessions? Please join our mailing list to find out about future sessions.
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MA TESOL applications for 2021/2022 accepted until all spaces are filled
The priority deadline was February 1st, but applications to the Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages will remain open until all spaces are filled. Application instructions can be found here.
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Are you an Applied Linguistics major or minor, TESL Certificate or MA TESOL alum?Please share news of your travels, a new job, or professional accomplishment by emailing linginfo@pdx.edu.
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Nattinger Scholarship applications due March 1, 2021
The James R. Nattinger Scholarship provides support to students pursuing our MA TESOL degree.
Applicants should have a strong scholarly record and a research interest. The scholarship honors the memory of Jim Nattinger, who was a beloved teacher, valued colleague, and respected researcher, as well as the main force behind the formation of the Department of Applied Linguistics. See more information and application instructions on the department's website.
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Professional Development with Anna Marie Trester March 3rd
Dr. Anna Marie Trester is an interactional sociolinguist and storyteller whose research and practical interests center around the language of work and career. She has worked with hundreds of linguists to find professional expression of their skills and training, and is the founder of Career Linguist, a blog and resource center for career exploration.
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More news from the Applied Linguistics department here
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