THURSDAY NIGHT PLENARY:
A Brush with Particularism: Style, persona, and the emergence of a preadolescent social order

Penelope Eckert, Stanford University
Thursday, September 30 7:00-9:00pm, Michigan League Ballroom

In the study of variation, a focus on individuals and the personae they project runs the risk of being particularistic - of losing sight of larger structures. However, it is in such a focus that we can study the stylistic deployment of variables, and it is in this deployment that we can come to grips with the construction of meaning in variation. This talk will focus on how linguistic style is embedded in social practice, and how individual personae are woven into a social order. The talk will be based in an ethnographic study of an age cohort in Northern California, as it passes through late elementary school, moving from childhood to early adolescence. In the course of this move, the cohort transforms itself from a bunch of kids into the beginnings of a social order. Kids call on a wide variety of linguistic resources in the construction of styles and personae that are the building blocks of the emerging adolescent social order. Some of these features are "adult" variables, e.g. elements of the Northern California Vowel Shift, but these take on meaning only in the context of a broader range of resources including what one might think of as "kid" stuff.

PANEL SESSIONS

2004 marks the 25th anniversary of the 1979 King v. Ann Arbor trial, often called the “Black English Case”, in which African American students at the Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School sued the Ann Arbor School District for unfairly discriminating against them. Judge Joiner ultimately found in favor of the students, and ordered the school district to take African American English into account in preparing their curriculum. While the case was landmark decision from the perspective of sociolinguists, who for years had fought for the recognition of African American English as a legitimate English dialect, 25 years later many of the issues related to King still remain.

To commemorate this trial, and to look more closely at its role in language, ethnicity and education today, this year’s NWAV will include two panel sessions devoted to the King trial and related issues.

The Friday panel, “Revisiting the Ann Arbor King Trial,” includes several key participants from the court case. Participants will discuss their experiences during the trial and how it has affected them and their work since then.

The Saturday panel, “Considering the Effects of the Ann Arbor King Trial for Sociolinguistics in Education,” consists of several prominent scholars involved in research on language and education. For this panel, several expert witnesses from King and two linguists who were prominent in the 1997 Oakland School District decision and the ensuing media controversy will share their thoughts on the effects of King on their work today.

FRIDAY PANEL: REVISITING THE ANN ARBOR KING TRIAL

Robin Thomas is a teacher at Dicken Elementary in the Ann Arbor School District. Ms. Thomas’s experiences during the trial led to her decision to become a teacher.

Ken Lewis is a partner at Plunkett & Cooney law firm. Mr. Lewis served as counsel for the plaintiffs in the King Trial.

Geneva Smitherman is a University Distinguished Professor of English, and Director of the African American Language and Literacy Program at Michigan State University. Dr. Smitherman was chief advocate and and expert witness for the plaintiffs in King.

Ruth Zweifler is founder of the Student Advocacy Center in Ann Arbor. Ms. Zweifler was an advocate for the plaintiffs in the King Trial.

This panel will be moderated by Judge Nancy Francis of the Washtenaw County Circuit Court.

SATURDAY PANEL: CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS OF THE ANN ARBOR KING TRIAL FOR SOCIOLINGUISTICS IN EDUCATION

Richard W. Bailey is the Fred Newton Scott Collegiate Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. Dr. Bailey was an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the King Trial.

John Baugh is a professor of Education and Lingustics at Stanford University. Dr. Baugh is a prominent researcher on the role of language and ethnicity in education, and was a key linguist involved in the 1997 Oakland controversy.

William Labov is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Labov served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the King Trial.

John Rickford is the Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Stanford University. Dr. Rickford is a prominent researcher on the role of language and ethnicity in education, and was also heavily involved in the 1997 Oakland controversy.

Jerrie Scott is a Professor in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership at the University of Memphis. Dr. Scott was an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the King Trial.

Orlando Taylor is a Professor of Communications and Dean of the Graduate School at Howard University. Dr. Taylor is a prominent scholar in the field of language and education.

SAMPLES OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AND EDITORIALS RELATING TO KING

Ruth Zweifler, director of the Student Advocacy center and advocate of the students in the King trial, has generously provided us with a scrapbook of newspaper clippings from the trial. Below are links to several articles and editorials concerning the King trial.

Bias suit wrangling begins 09/01/1977

Court hears about black speech case 06/14/1979

Language isn't a legal issue 06/17/1979

Black English testimony winding down 06/30/1979

Schools must consider dialect 07/13/1979

Results found inconclusive in Black English program 10/23/1980

(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the files. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, .)