Spring 2009 Speaker Series
Bio-Anthropology Seminar Speaker
Friday, April 10, 2009 - 2:00 p.m.
Anthropology 108
Jim McKenna
Professor and Chair
Department of Anthropology
University of Notre Dame
Department of Anthropology Speaker
Monday, April 6, 2009 - 3:15 p.m.
Anthropology 206
Susan Tamasi
Lecturer, Program in Linguistics
Emory University
“The Misinterpretation of African-American English in Medical Examinations”
This presentation will investigate the use of three features of African-American English (habitual 'be', completive 'done', and remote past 'been') in the context of medical examinations. Research shows that in cross-dialectal interactions, patients’ statements are often not fully understood by physicians, thus affecting the patients’ overall health care. Dr. Susan Tamasi is a Lecturer in the Program in Linguistics and an Associated Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology. Her main areas of research include health communication, American dialects, and language attitudes.