Penelope Eckert
Encyclopedia
Penelope "Penny" Eckert is a professor of linguistics
at Stanford University
in Stanford, California. She is a prominent scholar of variationist sociolinguistics
, and is the author of several scholarly works on language and gender.
Eckert received her PhD in linguistics in 1978 from Columbia University
, where she was a student of William Labov
. Her early work was on phonological variation in Gascon. Her more recent work focuses on the social meaning of linguistic variables, particularly in English. She is the author or co-author of three books on sociolinguistics, the co-editor of three collections, and author of numerous scholarly papers in the field.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Stanford, California. She is a prominent scholar of variationist sociolinguistics
Variation (linguistics)
In sociolinguistics, variation in language use among speakers or groups of speakers is a principal concern. Such variation may occur in pronunciation , word choice , or even preferences for particular grammatical patterns....
, and is the author of several scholarly works on language and gender.
Eckert received her PhD in linguistics in 1978 from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where she was a student of William Labov
William Labov
William Labov born December 4, 1927) is an American linguist, widely regarded as the founder of the discipline of variationist sociolinguistics. He has been described as "an enormously original and influential figure who has created much of the methodology" of sociolinguistics...
. Her early work was on phonological variation in Gascon. Her more recent work focuses on the social meaning of linguistic variables, particularly in English. She is the author or co-author of three books on sociolinguistics, the co-editor of three collections, and author of numerous scholarly papers in the field.
External links
- Penelope Eckert's web page, Stanford University
- Linguistics on the Playground; National Public Radio's Michelle Norris interviews Eckert about Northern California youth speech