Linguistics Colloquium | The Southern Ohio Language Project: Where We Are Today, Feb. 19

From left, Kalinda Thayer, Rasmia Shraim, Michelle O’Malley, Mark Sakach, and Georgia Curran

The Linguistics Colloquium series presents Dr. Michelle O’Malley and the 2021 Southern Ohio Language Project Lab Team discussing “The Southern Ohio Language Project: Where we are today!” on Friday, Feb. 19, from 12:55 to 1:50 p.m. via Microsoft TEAMS.

• Join the Teams meeting on your computer or mobile app.
• Or call in (audio only) +1 614-706-6572,,653501447# United States, Columbus, Phone Conference ID: 653 501 447#.

Contact Dr. David Bell, Chair of Linguistics at Ohio University, belld@ohio.edu.

O’Malley is an Assistant Professor of Instruction and  Undergraduate Chair of the Linguistics Department.

Abstract: Our efforts focus primarily, via sociolinguistic interviews, on raising awareness and creating opportunities for community members to both catalogue and celebrate their language and their stories.  From that point, we’ve begun developing and distributing signage that is inclusive, accurate and familiar.  Additionally, we have embarked on a campaign to record Ohio Voices – a community engaged podcast series – while also Labeling Location that ‘speaks’ to the frequent users of the spaces we inhabit regularly.  Finally, we are working to identify attitudes about language variations that are commonplace on Ohio University’s campus.  The end goal is always to document, to describe, to celebrate and to learn to appreciate language in ALL of its forms, because Language Matters!