Abstract
In this article, we discuss various public-facing scholarly activities we have engaged in and how these initiatives have reached large audiences to widely spread messages about language and linguistic equity and inclusion. We provide guidance for how to launch, coordinate, and carry out public outreach initiatives and community-engaged research, how to navigate potential pitfalls and position these efforts for success, and how to demonstrate the direct value and relevance of the work. We also offer strategies and advice for other linguists engaging in public outreach endeavors, especially with regard to connecting community-engaged work with teaching and research for maximal impact within the scholarly ecosystem. Community-engaged research and public-facing initiatives are best conceptualized and undertaken in comprehensive, intentional, informed by, and planned in ways that align with best practices in the literature and integrated into the scholarly enterprise. We assert that public-facing work is critical to the relevance and impact of linguistics and higher education. Most importantly, public-facing work that makes insights from research relevant to the public can help advance the broader goal of education for social impact and the public good.
Funding source: National Science Foundation, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2126405
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2126414
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Research funding: This work is supported by the National Science Foundation, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (2126405 and 2126414).
References
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© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Introduction to the special collection on public outreach in linguistics
- To go big, we have to go home: building foundations for the future of community-engaged and public-facing research in linguistics
- Towards a theory of linguistic curiosity: applying linguistic frameworks to lingcomm and scicomm
- Linguistic discrimination and diversity: the pivotal role of linguistics in the University of Pennsylvania’s writing program
- Using constructed languages to introduce and teach linguistics
- “Science is in everything, whether we realize it or not”: using the IPA to encourage interest in the scientific study of language
- Bridging linguistics and high school students: the example of Noorlingvistide keeleklubi in Estonia
- The Linguistics Roadshow
- The Language Science Station at Planet Word: a language research and engagement laboratory at a language museum
- The moving project: exploring language, migration, and identity using participatory podcasting during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Talk about testimony: courtroom dialogue as racialized interactions
- Language science outreach through schools and social media: critical considerations
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Introduction to the special collection on public outreach in linguistics
- To go big, we have to go home: building foundations for the future of community-engaged and public-facing research in linguistics
- Towards a theory of linguistic curiosity: applying linguistic frameworks to lingcomm and scicomm
- Linguistic discrimination and diversity: the pivotal role of linguistics in the University of Pennsylvania’s writing program
- Using constructed languages to introduce and teach linguistics
- “Science is in everything, whether we realize it or not”: using the IPA to encourage interest in the scientific study of language
- Bridging linguistics and high school students: the example of Noorlingvistide keeleklubi in Estonia
- The Linguistics Roadshow
- The Language Science Station at Planet Word: a language research and engagement laboratory at a language museum
- The moving project: exploring language, migration, and identity using participatory podcasting during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Talk about testimony: courtroom dialogue as racialized interactions
- Language science outreach through schools and social media: critical considerations