Please join me in congratulating Monica Nesbitt, assistant professor of linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences, on receiving a $666,000 National Science Foundation grant to create the first digital atlas of African American Language (AAL).
Professor Nesbitt, whose research focuses on phonetics, phonology, and sociolinguistics, is the sole principal investigator on the five-year grant. She and her team will conduct 160 sociolinguistic interviews across major U.S. regions to build the Phonological Atlas of African American Language (PAAAL).
Her project will provide the first comprehensive, nationwide description of pronunciation patterns within AAL, and the findings will be made publicly accessible to foster broader awareness and appreciation of linguistic diversity.
Congratulations, Professor Nesbitt!