Fostering Linguistic Equality: The SISE Approach to the Introductory Linguistics Course

“The author’s call to action- that it is incumbent on linguists to work towards societal change- is one we should heed. Hercula encourages linguists to refocus the introductory linguistics course to not only educate about how language works and how linguists study it, but to work more deeply to change attitudes towards stigmatized language varieties by in-depth investigation of those varieties, ensuring that everyone goes away with enduring understanding and a desire to change the world.” –Kristin Denham, Western Washington University, USA
This book offers one possible solution in the pursuit of linguistic equality by exploring how the Structural Inquiry of Stigmatized English (SISE) approach to linguistics pedagogy can be used to empower linguistics students and researchers as ambassadors for change. By using stigmatized varieties of English (including African American English, Chicano English, and Appalachian English) as the primary linguistic data analyzed through detailed structural analysis, the SISE approach fosters linguistically principled and pluralistic language attitudes among students, as evidenced by the author’s own empirical research in applying the method. This book not only advocates for linguistic equality but also provides teachers and researchers with the tools they need to counteract prejudicial attitudes and disinformation about language both in and outside the classroom. It will be an essential resource for linguistics teachers, applied linguists, curriculum developers, students and scholars of language attitudes and language variation, and anyone seeking more information about the relationships between diversity, (in)equality, and language.

Sarah Hercula is Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of English and Technical Communication at Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA.