John R. Rickford Explained

John Russell Rickford (born September 16, 1949^{[1] [2]}) is a Guyanese–American academic and author. Rickford is the J. E. Wallace Sterling Professor of Linguistics and the Humanities at Stanford University's Department of Linguistics and the Stanford Graduate School of Education, where he has taught since 1980.^[3] His book Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English, which he wrote together with his son, Russell J. Rickford,^[4] won the American Book Award in 2000.^[5]

Life and work

Education

Rickford earned his B.A. in Sociolinguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (1968–1971) on a Fulbright undergraduate scholarship.^[6] Rickford continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his MA in linguistics (1971–1973) and later his PhD in linguistics in 1979.

Professional career

Before working at Stanford University, Rickford held lectures in linguistics at the University of Guyana and was named Assistant Dean, Faculty of Arts, between 1979 and 1980. He later started teaching at Stanford University in 1980 as a Visiting Assistant Linguistics Professor before being named associate professor, with tenure, in linguistics (1986). While working in the United States, Rickford has kept contact with the University of Guyana as external examiner for linguistics courses, MA, and PhD theses (1982–present).^[7]

Field of expertise

Rickford's sociolinguistic research focuses on the relation between language variation and ethnicity, social class, variation and change. He is especially interested in the varieties of English spoken by marginalized communities in relation to ethical and economical characteristics. His research focuses on African American Vernacular English (AAVE) or Ebonics, spoken by many African Americans and the role linguistics plays in the educational context.^[6] Through his work, Rickford aims to close linguistic gaps across cultures.

Rickford's expertise is African American Vernacular English, which garnered national attention in the U.S. when the Oakland, California school board recognized the variety as an official dialect of English and educated teachers in its use.^[8] Rickford argues that AAVE is systematic and rule-governed like all natural speech.^[6] Rickford has researched and written extensively on the topic and was an outspoken supporter of the decision.

Rickford also engages in research regarding pidgin and creole languages. Most of Rickford's data comes from English-based creoles of the Caribbean. Especially, Guyanese Creole, Jamaican and Barbadian and American English.

Memberships in professional societies

• Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017)^[9]
• Member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences (2021)^[10]

Selected publications

• (Ed.), A Festival of Guyanese Words. Georgetown: University of Guyana. Second edition, revised and expanded, 1978.
• Dimensions of a Creole Continuum, Stanford (1987): Stanford University Press.
• African American English, ed. by Salikoko S. Mufwene, John R. Rickford, Guy Bailey and John Baugh. London: Routledge, 1998.
• African American Vernacular English: Features and Use, Evolution, and Educational Implications, Oxford (1999): Blackwell.
• Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English. (With Russell J. Rickford) New York: John Wiley, 2000. [Winner of a 2000 American Book Award]
• Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-First Century, ed. (With Edward Finegan). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Personal life

Rickford is married to professor Angela Rickford, and they have four children.^{[11] [12]}

External links

• Profile at Stanford University
• Writings on the "Ebonics" issue

Notes and References

1. Web site: CURRICULUM VITAE: JOHN R. RICKFORD (November 2011) . Rickford . John R. . . November 26, 2011 .
2. Inside Cover of Rickford, J. R. (1999) African American Vernacular English. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, Inc.
3. Web site: John R. Rickford. Professor of Linguistics. Stanford University. Staff. Stanford University. November 26, 2011.
4. Web site: Father and son authors make case for acceptance of Ebonics . Wagner . Venise . April 30, 2000 . . November 26, 2011 .
5. Web site: American Booksellers Association . The American Book Awards / Before Columbus Foundation [1980–2012] ]. 2013 . BookWeb . 2000 [...] Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English, John Russell Rickford and Russell John Rickford . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130313174235/http://bookweb.org/btw/awards/The-American-Book-Awards---Before-Columbus-Foundation.html . March 13, 2013 . September 25, 2013.
6. News: Alumnus John Rickford explains how linguists are working to solve the black/white achievement gap in American schools. UC Santa Cruz News. December 5, 2017. en.
7. Web site: John Rickford's Web Site > CV. www.johnrickford.com. en-US. December 5, 2017.
8. News: Coming correct on black English. Wagner. Venise. April 18, 2000. San Francisco Chronicle. December 2, 2011.
9. Web site: Newly elected members, April 2017. American Academy of Arts and Sciences. May 29, 2017.
10. Web site: News from the National Academy of Sciences. April 26, 2021. July 5, 2021. Newly elected members and their affiliations at the time of election are: ... Rickford, John R.; J.E. Wallace Sterling Professor of Linguistics and the Humanities, emeritus, department of linguistics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.., entry in member directory:Web site: Member Directory. July 5, 2021. National Academy of Sciences.
11. News: Nakao . Annie . Pride and prejudice / A young author looks back at the tragedy -- and triumph -- of Betty Shabazz's life . 19 November 2023 . . 22 February 2004 . en.
12. Web site: Curriculum Vitae: John R. Rickford.