Geneva Smitherman
Geneva Smitherman is a Distinguished Professor of English and Director of the African American Language and Literacy Program at Michigan State University.[1]
She holds a B.A. and M.A. in English and Latin from Wayne State University and a Ph.D in English, with a specialization in sociolinguistics and education, from the University of Michigan.[2]
Awards and achievements
- Educational Press Association Award for Excellence in Educational Journalism for her English Journal column, "Soul N Style"
- 1999 CCCC Exemplar Award
- 2001 NCTE David H. Russell Research Award for Talkin That Talk: Language, Culture and Education in African America
- 2005, NCTE James R. Squire Award (only the tenth recipient of this Award, established in 1967 to recognize a scholar who has had a “transforming influence” and has made a “lasting intellectual contribution” to the field of English Studies)
Publications
- Word from the Mother: Language and African Americans (2006)
- Black Linguistics: Language, Society and Politics in Africa and the Americas (co-editor, 2003)
- "Language and Democracy in the United States of America and South Africa", in Language and Institutions in Africa (eds., Makoni and Kamwangamalu, 2001)
- Talkin That Talk: Language, Culture and Education in African America (2000)
- Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner (1994, 2000)
- "CCCC’s Role in the Struggle for Language Rights", College Composition and Communication (February, 1999)
- Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America (1977, 1986)