Upcoming FLAUT Talk: Gerard Van Herk, Nov. 15

Students, alumni, faculty and friends, please take note: next week in the department there will be a talk hosted by Friends of Linguistics At the University of Toronto (FLAUT) and the Society of Linguistic Undergraduate Students (SLUGS):

Prof. Gerard Van Herk 

Memorial University of Newfoundland 

NEWFOUNDLAND LANGUAGE MYTHS 

Abstract:
Myth can mean "a story that a society tells to explain the world" or "thing that's not true". This talk looks at two widespread language myths in Newfoundland: that the local variety of English is dying, and that it is unique. Recordings from urbanizing villages and usage surveys across generations show that the dialect is changing, but change isn't death; historical and comparative work shows that Newfoundland English is not an only child ­ it has sisters in the Caribbean and the US south.

Gerard Van Herk is the Canada Research Chair in Regional Language and Oral Text at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and director of the Memorial University Sociolinguistics Laboratory (http://musl.ling.mun.ca/about.html).

PRESENTATION, INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND RECEPTION 

Thursday November 15, 2012 7-9 p.m. 

DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS SIDNEY SMITH HALL 

4th floor LINGUISTICS LOUNGE 

OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS, ALUMNI, FACULTY AND FRIENDS