While it’s true that I’m busy gathering together recent studies on language and discrimination and querying former colleagues on their work, I won’t actually start working on the revisions to English with an Accent until sometime in the fall. Or more exactly: when I finish this novel I’m working on. Which is way, way past deadline.

So I’m going to make sure that the few posts already up here will take comments, and I’ll check in on a regular basis, but things will be quiet until I’ve sent this monster off to Bantam.

I have set up this weblog to help me investigate attitudes about language as it is spoken in the United States. The whole undertaking has to do with the fact that I’m revising English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the U.S., a book designed for use in undergraduate linguistic classes.

There’s more information about me, about the book, and about my research tucked into corners everywhere. Please also feel free to contact me with questions, suggestions or comments at rosinalippi@pobox.com. If you could put ‘English with an Accent’ into the subject line, you will probably get a response more quickly that you would otherwise.

I reserve the right to publish letters, emails and other communications here, in order to provide a response to a question or statement of interest to a broader potential audience. If you want your communications with me to remain anonymous, please say so clearly in the body of your message. I will also contact you to let you know that I am responding to your question or statements publically.

What you will find here:

• essays and parts of chapters I’m writing or revising, for the purposes of commentary and discussion;
• questions for discussion on language related topics;
• surveys and polls designed to get your opinions on specific matters
• links to language-related resources (websites, video clips, newspaper articles) that might be of interest and possibly lead to discussion
• my response to emails of more general interest

Some topics that will come up:

• the relationship between spelling and pronunciation (for example, aks or ask);
• a court case dealing with the dismissal of a woman from Kenya because of her accent;
• the role of the media in our understanding of how language works, or should work;
• how language is used for communication below the level of consciousness.

For the moment, anyone can comment on posts less than a month old. If this turns out not to work well, I will ask readers to register to be able to comment.

Please note: the first survey is up and active.