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Jon Forrest

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Assistant Professor

My research focuses on language variation and change in Southern US Englishes, using sociological theory to explain loss of older features and the adoption and diffusion of new sound changes.  I am especially interested in the ways that sociological analyses of meso-level social groups like organizations or neighborhoods can help integrate social-structural factors into the study of language variation.  My most recent project examined stylistic variation in native Southerners working at a technology firm in the South, contrasting self-recordings made by participants while on the job with their recordings of friend and family interactions.  

Education:

PhD, Sociology, North Carolina State University, 2018

MA, English (Sociolinguistics), North Carolina State University, 2013

BA, English (World Literature), North Carolina State University, 2011

Specific Research Areas:

Sociolinguistics, Language Variation and Change, Southern US Englishes, African American Language, Phonetics, Phonology

Events featuring Jon Forrest
Athens-Clarke County Library, Jon and Virginia Appleton Auditorium - 2020 Baxter St. Athens, GA

There will be a screening of the documentary "Talking Black in America" at the Athens-Clarke County Library in the Jon and Virginia Appleton Auditorium. The documentary talks about the formation and history of African American Language in the United States, as well as the functions it serves in the community. Linguistics Assistant…

Articles Featuring Jon Forrest

Dr. Jon Forrest and Dr. Peggy Renwick's research on changing pronunciations among different generations of speakers in Georgia has been featured in Georgia Magazine and in this YouTube video.

UGA Linguistics faculty members Dr. Margaret Renwick and Dr. Jon Forrest were featured in this week's Columns article, discussing the rapid decline of the Georgia accent among…

This month, the Linguistics department's Spotlight on Inclusive Excellence will feature Dr. Jon Forrest and his course offering for Fall 2023, Language, Race, & Ethnicity in the U.S. 

University of Georgia Linguistics Faculty and Graduate Students presented at the 94th Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Society of America, in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2-5,…

Congratulations to Department of Linguistics Assistant Professor, Dr. Jon Forrest for receiving an Innovation in Multicultural Curriculum Award from Franklin College of Arts & Sciences to support the development of his…

We are very happy to announce the appointment of Dr. Jon Forrest as Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics. Dr. Forrest received his B.A. in English with a World Literature & Japanese minor, M.A. in English with a sociolinguistics…

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