John R. Rickford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John R. Rickford
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Rickford speaks as president of the Linguistic Society of America in 2016
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John Russell Rickford
September 16, 1949 |
| Alma mater | University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Academic and author |
| Employer | Stanford University |
John Russell Rickford was born on September 16, 1949. He is a famous professor and author from Guyana and America. He teaches about language at Stanford University. Professor Rickford has been a teacher there since 1980. He wrote a book called Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English with his son, Russell J. Rickford. This book won a special award called the American Book Award in 2000.
Contents
About John Rickford
His Education Journey
John Rickford went to college at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He studied sociolinguistics there. Sociolinguistics is the study of how language is used in different groups of people. He got a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship.
After that, he went to the University of Pennsylvania. He earned two more degrees there. He got his master's degree and then his PhD in linguistics. Linguistics is the scientific study of language.
His Teaching Career
Before joining Stanford University, Professor Rickford taught at the University of Guyana. He was also an Assistant Dean there. In 1980, he started teaching linguistics at Stanford. He later became a full professor.
Even while working in the United States, he stayed connected with the University of Guyana. He helped check language courses and student projects there.
What He Studies
Professor Rickford is an expert in how language changes. He looks at how language is different for various groups of people. He is very interested in the types of English spoken by communities that are often overlooked.
African-American English
A big part of his work is studying African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). This is sometimes called Ebonics. Many African Americans speak this type of English. Professor Rickford studies how language affects education. He wants to help people understand each other better across cultures.
He believes that AAVE is a real language system, just like any other. It has its own rules and patterns. He supported the Oakland, California school board. They decided to recognize AAVE as an official dialect of English. They also trained teachers to understand it better.
Pidgin and Creole Languages
Professor Rickford also studies pidgin and creole languages. These are languages that develop when different language groups need to communicate. He has studied creoles from the Caribbean. This includes Guyanese Creole, Jamaican, and Barbadian English.
Important Groups He Joined
- He became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017.
- He joined the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2021.
His Books
Professor Rickford has written many important books about language. Here are a few of them:
- Dimensions of a Creole Continuum (1987)
- African American English (1998)
- African American Vernacular English: Features and Use, Evolution, and Educational Implications (1999)
- Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English (2000) - This book won an award!
- Raciolinguistics: How Language Shapes Our Ideas About Race (2016)
His Family Life
John Rickford is married to Angela Rickford, who is also a professor. They have four children together.
