Event Details
Language and Discrimination: The treatment of people based on their use of language
This presentation by Dr. Richard Epstein will present a linguistic perspective on questions such as: what is “proper English” and how did it get to be that way? Is it really ok to deny someone a job - that is, discriminate against them - because of their dialect? Is African-American English just slang? And what’s really wrong with double negatives, anyway? The presentation will discuss how misconceptions regarding grammar and dialects lead us to make detrimental - and often incorrect - judgments concerning people's character.