Leora Bar-el and Daisy Rooks - UM

Leora Bar-el, associate professor of linguistics and Daisy Rooks, associate professor of sociology, at the University of Montana.

This talk examines the social and linguistic expectations that pave the road to success in the U.S. We explore linguistic expectations, such as the requirement that everyone speak “Standard American English” and social expectations, such as the guidelines about how to dress, behave, and lead in order to be successful in business, politics and education in American Society. The speakers interrogate the assumptions surrounding these “rules” by asking questions such as: Are these expectations achievable? And if so, by which Americans?

Bar-el’s interests include North American Indigenous languages, Montana dialects of English, issues in language endangerment and revitalization, and dispelling language myths and promoting appreciation of linguistic diversity. In 2012 she received the Cox Award from UM’s College of Humanities and Sciences, and in 2015 she was selected to be a presenter at UM’s second TEDx event.

Rooks has conducted research on leadership in labor unions, media coverage of charter schools, social and emotional experiences of rural teachers, and is currently writing a book about homelessness in the intermountain west. In 2013, she received the Cox Education Excellence Award from UM’s College of Humanities and Sciences.