When we spoke with English secondary education student Jessica Hatcher去年, the ’16 grad reflected on how the scholarships she received afforded her the opportunity to conduct hands-on research and find her passion for linguistics. One year later, we caught up with Hatcher to learn about how she is using her research to educate high school students as she works toward her M.A. in English linguistics.
Can you tell us about your research and the work you are doing with high school students this summer?
我对社会语言学与教育之间的交集感兴趣。我想通过包括对语言差异的理解的教学实践来进一步支持我们学校的公平。
The Language Diversity Enrichment Program for high school students is the first of its kind at NC State. It is a week-long educational program designed to promote language awareness and explore dialect diversity in English. We introduce high school students to linguistics and promote inclusion and empathy through education about sociolinguistics.
语言多样性被忽略了，我想帮助高中生更多地了解这一日益相关的多样性方面。我将社区教育和外展视为研究的重要方面。
How did you become interested in studying linguistics?
我在英语俱乐部会议上从Jeffrey Reaser博士那里了解了语言和生活项目。我开始担任Reaser博士的研究助理，并转录了课堂讨论的视频。当我听和键入时，我用从未考虑过的想法来搏斗。我一生都认为周围的人（包括我自己）说“不好的英语”。但是了解社会语言学重新构想了我的理解。当我追求语言学的未成年人时，我对该领域越来越感兴趣，我决定攻读硕士学位。我的经验与NC State提供的机会有关。您永远不知道自己会学到什么或如何影响您的未来。
What is the most common misconception about your research or field of study?
人们经常认为方言只是“不良英语”，说这些方言的人在某种程度上是懒惰，无知或少的人。实际上，英语方言，例如阿巴拉契亚英语或非裔美国人英语，在语言上是有效的，并且像主流英语一样进行规则管理和图案。关于方言的判断通常与说话的人有关，并习惯于根据其种族，社会经济地位或原产地歧视人们。
您对研究或研究领域最迷人的是什么？
语言是复杂的，并且与我们生活的许多方面深深交织在一起。语言与身份有关，人们通常可以在不知不觉中通过一个看似微不足道的声音来表明其身份的一个方面。例如，由于我的发音和笔的发音相同，所以我露出自己在美国南方长大的人。
作为本科生，您是富布赖特夏季学院的学者，也是威廉和莱萨·爱德华兹学院优异奖学金的获得者。奖学金和给予如何在您的大学生涯中有所作为？
我可以谈论各种积极影响。在整个大学期间，奖学金使我能够专注于我的学术界，并参与NC State提供的各种机会，这些机会我将无法进行其他方式。我能够利用那些专门用于最低工资工作的时间来担任英国俱乐部的官员，追求未成年人，担任研究助理并担任人文与社会学院的大使科学和留学办公室。
参加英国富布赖特夏季学院不仅增强了我对英国，而且对美国的理解。能够体验另一种文化并与人面对面互动比阅读教科书或写论文要强大得多。没有富布赖特奖学金，我将无法负担这个机会。
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Hi Ms. Hatcher. I am fascinated about sociolinguistics. From your perspective then, as an example, if you know a person that says “AX” instead of the word “ASK”, do you thing we should be accepting of this, or should a person mention it to them? I know a lot of people that mispronounce words which makes them hard to understand. I may even be guilty on occasion. I usually overlook it but sometimes feel like it would help them to be understood if I bring it to their attention. What is your take?
There are a number of angles involved in answering your question. First, there’s the issue of why only one way of pronouncing a word should be considered standard. We actually have lots of words that have two standard pronunciations–think of applicable, pajamas, Caribbean, and aunt, for example–so why shouldn’t ax be considered just as acceptable as ask? Another angle is to remember that there are numerous words whose pronunciation has changed over the years. The word pestle, as in “mortar and pestle,” traditionally rhymed with wrestle, but most people today say the t in it; does that make one of the two pronunciations “wrong?” Similarly, the h in humble used to be silent, but now most people say the h–is one of those pronunciations “wrong?” A third issue is that just because somebody uses a pronunciation that’s labeled as non-standard doesn’t mean that they’re incompetent at any particular job. Fourth, of course, it’s generally considered rude to tell a person that they’re saying something wrong. And, finally, it’s important to remember that language is all about identity, and the way a person speaks is a way of expressing who they want to identify with–or not identify with.
你好，休格斯女士，
I am so glad you’re fascinated with sociolinguistics! A lot of people notice and have strong opinions about “ax”/”ask.” The differences in pronunciation are the result of sound change in English. “Ax” can be traced to the eighth century, with the Old English verb, “acsian.” Its shortened form, “ax,” can be found in Chaucer’s work, as well as the first complete English translation of the Bible. At one point, some English speakers metathesized, that is, switched, the k and s sounds, and formed “ascian.” This was later shortened to “ask.” You can read more about this form and its history from linguist Jesse Shiedlower in this article from the Smithsonian (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-been-saying-ax-saying-ax-instead-ask-ask-1200--1809496663/).
要了解有关为什么仍使用AKS表单的其他可能解释，您可以在《洛杉矶时报》中阅读约翰·麦克沃特http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/19/opinion/la-oe-mcwhorter-black-speech-ax-20140119).
关于您的问题 - 语言总是在变化，但有时保留了旧形式。我个人不会对某人的单词发音发表评论，尤其是在含义仍然很清楚的情况下。例如，使用“斧头”，我们知道这意味着与“询问”相同。同时，我们还知道其他人可能会根据他人的讲话做出负面判断，许多老师，父母和朋友可能会觉得有责任与演讲者分享，以至于有些人可能会在一种消极的方式。关于鼓励人们说“主流”或“标准化”的英语形式的辩论很多，因为他们在工作场所或学校可能面临的负面影响可能会有所不同。我和许多社会语言学家的一部分希望做的是增强语言宽容和对方言差异的意识。我鼓励人们对语言有不同的看法，而不是要求人们说话不同。