Bethany Townsend
Current student editor
bethany
linguistlist.org
It seems that every Linguistics student I know has a story about how they "found" the field. Mine starts at Eastern in 2003 where I was initially a part of the Language, Literature, and Writing for Secondary Education Certification program. Having taken the required introductory courses in Linguistics, I found myself trying to sneak what I had learned into my lesson plans. I was fascinated by this new perspective on language and felt unable to reconcile teaching traditional grammar in the high school classroom with it. I changed my major one semester before I was scheduled to begin my student teaching, and it's a decision I've never regretted. I graduated summa cum laude in December of 2006 with 164 credits and have begun my MA this year. Currently, my interests include historical and sociolinguistics, as well as case assignment in coordinated NPs. I'm trying to keep my interests rather broad because I feel I have so much more to learn. Outside interests include vegan cooking, literature, body modification, and ritual.