Joshua Babcock and Jay Ke-Schutte In two recent special issues in Signs and Society and the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, we outlined how we see… Read More »The “both-and,” non-binary semiotics of intersectionality
Shalini Shankar October 18, 2017 The latest rendition of “sorry, not sorry” is not just topping the Billboard charts. It is also a public relations… Read More »Here’s the Rub on the Dove Skincare Ad
Readings and other resources for use in linguistic anthropology classes on topics of police violence, the Black Lives Matter movement, and structural racism
A report on Fox News intimates that a course using Jane Hill’s Everyday Language of White Racism is problematic. It is not clear from the report whether anyone at Fox News read the book.
Several colleagues have suggested film and video clips that may be useful in teaching about language ideologies, including the value of standard and non-standard varieties, social stereotypes, and style shifting. This post includes several YouTube videos.
Black Comedian Steve Harvey compares white and black communication styles. He imitates a white man’s voice at 2:35-4:13. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICsHscXzXw0 (2:35-4:13) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICsHscXzXw0[/youtube]
Examples of Mock Asian Margaret Cho http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAmcPS6xoZA&feature=related (8:32-end) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAmcPS6xoZA&feature=related[/youtube] Gedde Watanabe (Long Duk Dong) on NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88591800
AAA video Race: Are You So Different?
In this excerpt, Cho talks about race and language: being asked to speak to viewers “in your native language,” being treated like a visiting exchange… Read More »Margaret Cho – I’m the One I Want
On the subject of constructing Latin American immigrants as inherintly “illegal,” here is a great clip from a 2010 Colbert Report show– http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/361456/october-07-2010/indecision-2010—revenge-of-the-fallen—fearstock-com If the… Read More »2010 Colbert Report on creating fear through images
This anti-illegal alien site contains rants about illegal aliens and compares them to thieves, invaders, etc: http://www.illegalaliens.us/ Some of the more interesting links on the site… Read More »Anti-illegal alien website
“You have lots of ‘splaining to do”… Senator Tom Corburn (R-Oklahoma) interrupted Supreme Court candidate Sonia Sotomayor’s explanation about gun laws with this phrase, which echoes… Read More »Sotomayor “You have lots of splainin to do”
From Taco- to Chimichanga-Gate * “Insensitive Remarks Know No Party” by Kathleen McKinley,Houston Chronicle (February 18, 2012) http://blog.chron.com/texassparkle/2012/02/insensitive-remarks-knows-no-party/ * “The chimichanga wars” By Dana Milbank,Washington… Read More »Politicians’ remarks about Hispanic voters and chimichangas
This report aired on Public Radio International in December 2011 discusses the decision to recognize the word “Gypsy” as pejorative and replace it with “Roma”… Read More »Renaming Gypsies in Romania
“Why do I need subtitles”: Politics of translation- This comic sketch comments on how people judge linguistic comprehensibility based on the appearance of the person speaking.… Read More »Why do I need subtitles?
Kumail Nanjiani – “Racists”: Discussion of markedness- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVBXn-owyAE&feature=bf_prev&list=PLC41A1610BAFF90CE&lf=mh_lolz
In lieu of an inaugural posting as the in-coming digital content editor (it’s coming next year, I promise), enjoy this year-end roundup of ling-anth related stories.
A piece in Scientific American Mind called “Accents Trump Skin Color” reviews work by Katherine Kinzler and colleagues suggesting that, for young children, accent is as important as visual cues to race, gender, and age in selecting friends. The magazine article was interesting, and led me to look for the research paper it was based on.