Linguistics Freeman Lecture Series to Host Alumnus and Scholar J. Michael Terry on Sept. 23

J. Michael Terry

Alumnus J. Michael Terry will deliver a talk on "Can Linguistic Differences Affect African American English Speaking 2nd Graders' Performance on Math Tests?" as part of the annual Freeman Lecture series presented by the Department of Linguistics in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, on Monday, Sept. 23 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Integrative Learning Center, S240.<_o3a_p>

Terry, associate professor of linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduated from the linguistics doctoral program in 2004 and is a renowned expert on the linguistics of African American English (AAE), especially its semantics (meanings) in comparison to other varieties of English. More recently, his work has broadened to include experimental studies of how AAE is processed by speakers in real time, employing methodologies like electroencephalogram (EEG) measuring methods and other techniques borrowed from the field of psycholinguistics.<_o3a_p>

In addition to being an alumnus, Terry is also the son of Esther M.A. Terry, one of the founders of the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst.<_o3a_p>

The Freeman Lecture, held annually at UMass Amherst, is named in honor of the founding head of the linguistics department, Donald C. Freeman, and his wife Margaret Freeman. The talks are designed for a broad, cross-disciplinary audience of students and faculty across campus.

More information about Terry and his lecture can be found on the Department of Linguistics website.<_o3a_p>

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