By Jacey Anderson, Book Review Editor for the Oral History Review On March 4, I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Jason A. Higgins. Higgins is the Digital Scholarship Coordinator for Virginia Tech Publishing & Press and an assistant professor of history. His book, Prisoners after War: Veterans in the Age of Mass Incarceration (UMass […]
Deadline to Submit: June 1, 2026 The Oral History Association Council calls for proposals from OHA members to create a new asynchronous oral history teaching module via Udemy. The course and the themes for the essential sessions to be available in the curricula are as follows: Archiving & Preserving Deliverables Interviewing Legal & Ethical Issues […]
The Oral History Association Publications Committee invites you to a virtual panel with authors Stephen M. Sloan and Mark Cave discussing their co-edited book Oral History and the Environment: Global Perspectives on Climate, Connection, and Catastrophe, published by Oxford University Press. This event launches a two-part conversation series connected to the 2026 OHA conference theme, […]
Smithsonian InstitutionNational Museum of African American History and CultureO:ice of Digital Strategy and EngagementRequest for Information (RFI): 03.12.2026 RFI Responses are Due By: Friday, March 27, 2026 This Request for Information (RFI) is for informational and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation or request for proposal. The anticipated period of performance is […]
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This week’s email is about how the language that people use shapes our perception of them (and vice versa).
Here are the key practical points you should know (mainly from this research article):
People’s language has fundamental social meaning in the eyes of others.
We use various aspects of other people’s language to categorize them, like when we perceive someone as low or high status based on what vocabulary they use, what accent they have, or even what language they speak.
We often essentialize language groups, meaning that we view speakers of different languages as being fundamentally different when it comes to factors other than their language.
When using language as a social cue, we often display in-group favoritism, by preferring those who speak like us, and attention to status, by preferring those who speak in a way that’s associated with a higher status.
This can be useful for understanding both how others perceive us and how we perceive others.
As always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts.
Have a great week,
Itamar
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more
This week’s email is about how the language that people use shapes our perception of them (and vice versa).
Here are the key practical points you should know (mainly from this research article):
People’s language has fundamental social meaning in the eyes of others.
We use various aspects of other people’s language to categorize them, like when we perceive someone as low or high status based on what vocabulary they use, what accent they have, or even what language they speak.
We often essentialize language groups, meaning that we view speakers of different languages as being fundamentally different when it comes to factors other than their language.
When using language as a social cue, we often display in-group favoritism, by preferring those who speak like us, and attention to status, by preferring those who speak in a way that’s associated with a higher status.
This can be useful for understanding both how others perceive us and how we perceive others.
As always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts.
Have a great week,
Itamar
