Doctoral Dissertation Research: Determinants of social meaning

近年来，用于描述社会身份的语言已经扩大，但在语言学领域，对于边缘化身份的个体如何在他们的言语中标记身份，以及身份如何通过他们的言语被感知，我们知之甚少。此外，一些个体拥有多重边缘身份。这个博士论文项目研究边缘化的个人如何使用语言作为他们身份的一部分，以及身份如何在社会环境中被感知。除了培养一名博士生外，该项目还将吸引代表性不足的个人参与科学研究，并通过社区组织传播研究成果。语言是人们表达自己身份的主要方式，但对于以多种方式被边缘化的人如何使用语言作为其身份的一部分，以及其他人如何看待他们在社会环境中使用语言，人们知之甚少。研究人员正在进行两项研究，以确定这些说话者使用的语言元素，以及不同群体如何感知这些元素。这个项目的第一部分考察了以多种方式被边缘化的人如何描述人们讨论身份的不同方式。他们确定了这些说话者用来表达他们身份的一组语言特征，并使用语音软件对它们进行声学分析。他们还进行了一项实验，让与说话者有着不同程度共同身份的听众听一些经过语音处理以改变听众社会认知的句子。在这个实验中，听者听到每个句子，并在不同的社会维度上给说话者打分。这项研究增加了身份语言学研究的广度，以及语言如何影响新社区的社会观念。这个项目的发现与正在研究的社区分享，扩大了科学研究的范围。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In recent years, the language used to describe social identities has expanded, but little is known within the field of linguistics about how individuals with marginalized identities mark identity in their speech or how identity is perceived through their speech. In addition, some individuals hold multiple marginalized identities. This doctoral dissertation project investigates how marginalized individuals use language as part of their identities and how identities are perceived in social settings. Along with training of a doctoral student, this project will engage underrepresented individuals in scientific research and will disseminate research findings through community organizations.Language is a primary way through which people express their identities, but little is known about how people minoritized in multiple ways use language as part of their identities or how others perceive their use of language in social settings. The researchers are conducting two studies that identify the linguistic elements used by such speakers and how those elements are perceived by various groups of people. The first part of this project examines how people who are minoritized in multiple ways describe different ways that people discuss identity. They determine a set of language features that these speakers use to express their identities and acoustically analyze them using phonetic software. They also conduct an experiment where listeners with varying degrees of shared identities with the speakers hear sentences that have been phonetically manipulated to shift listeners’ social perceptions. In this experiment, listeners hear each sentence and rate the speaker on various social dimensions. This research adds needed breadth within linguistic studies of identity and how language influences social perceptions in new communities. Findings from this project are shared with the communities that are being studied, expanding the reach of scientific research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.