The University community brings together diverse array of people from linguistic backgrounds, including languages other than English as well as the many different varieties of English spoken in the United States and abroad. But within the University, a culture of monolingualism prevails.

In this talk, Julie Sedivy, author of the book Memory Speaks, will explore some of the social and psychological forces by which the dominant language in society can drown out the other languages of its citizens. Sedivy will address the costs of such disconnection, including the personal costs of language attrition, loss of identity to the societal costs of missed opportunities for developing skills for navigating multilingual environments, and existential costs of language extinction. She will explore alternatives to a culture of monolingualism, and what these might look like in the university setting.

The lecture, sponsored by Center for Language Sciences, the Writing Speaking and Argument Program, and the River Campus Libraries, will take place from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. A workshop and discussion will follow, starting at 2 p.m. and ending at 3 p.m.

Please register to attend.