Guiding light in discourse studies

a tribute to Deborah Schiffrin (1951–2017)

Authors

  • Heidi E Hamilton Georgetown University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.20318

Keywords:

Obituary, Deborah Schiffrin, discourse studies, tribute

Abstract

This tribute characterises the scholarly life of interactional sociolinguist Deborah Schiffrin (1951–2017), locating her contribution to the 1992 Berkeley Women and Language Conference (‘Gender displays among family, friends, and neighbors: taking the role of another’) within her lifelong exploration of the intricate interrelated workings of language, identity and the world. Debby’s deep understanding of linguistics and sociology undergirded and nurtured nuanced, multidimensional analyses of individual utterances in their connection to systematic patterns within larger communities of practice. Her broad, multifaceted and deep legacy in discourse studies inspires all who seek to examine identity as performed and situated within myriad social worlds and their associated discourses.

Author Biography

  • Heidi E Hamilton, Georgetown University

    Heidi E. Hamilton is professor in the Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University where she explores interrelationships between discourse and health. Her recent books are Language, Dementia and Meaning Making: Navigating Challenges of Cognition and Face in Everyday Life (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (with Tannen and Schiffrin, Wiley-Blackwell, 2015) and the Routledge Handbook of Language and Health Communication (with Chou, Routledge, 2014). Awards include Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Linguistics (Innsbruck), DAAD Gastdozentin (Berlin) and Humboldt Research Prize (Potsdam).

References

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Eckert, Penelope (2012) Three waves of variation study: the emergence of meaning in the study of sociolinguistic variation. Annual Review of Anthropology 41: 87–100. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-092611-145828

Gordon, Cynthia and Ikizoglu, Didem (2017) ‘Asking for another’ online: membership categorization and identity construction on a food and nutrition discussion board. Discourse Studies 19(3): 253–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445617701810

Nilsson, Elin, Ekström, Anna and Majlesi, Ali Reza (2018) Speaking for and about a spouse with dementia: a matter of inclusion or exclusion? Discourse Studies 20(6): 770–791. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445618770482

Purves, Barbara A. (2009) The complexities of speaking for another. Aphasiology 23(7–8): 914–925. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687030802514946

Schiffrin, Deborah (ed) (1984a) Meaning, Form, and Use in Context: Linguistic Applications Washington DC: Georgetown University Press.

Schiffrin, Deborah (1984b) Jewish argument as sociability. Language in Society 13(3): 311–335. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500010526

Schiffrin, Deborah (1987) Discourse Markers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611841

Schiffrin, Deborah (1992a) Conditionals as topics in discourse. Linguistics 30(1): 165–197. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling.1992.30.1.165

Schiffrin, Deborah (1992b) Gender displays among family, friends, and neighbors: taking the role of another. In Kira Hall, Mary Bucholtz and Birch Moonwomon (eds) Locating Power: Proceedings of the 1992 Berkeley Women and Language Conference 515–527. Berkeley: Berkeley Women and Language Group.

Schiffrin, Deborah (1993) ‘Speaking for another’ in sociolinguistic interviews: alignments, identities, and frames. In Deborah Tannen (ed) Framing in Discourse 231–263. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Schiffrin, Deborah (1994) Approaches to Discourse: Language as Social Interaction. Malden: Blackwell.

Schiffrin, Deborah (1996) Narrative as self-portrait: sociolinguistic constructions of identity. Language in Society 25(2): 167–203. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500020601

Schiffrin, Deborah (2006) In Other Words: Variation in Reference and Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511616273

Schiffrin, Deborah, Tannen, Deborah and Hamilton, Heidi E. (eds) (2001) The Handbook of Discourse Analysis, 1st edition. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.

Published

2021-07-13

Issue

Section

Theme Series

How to Cite

Hamilton, H. E. (2021). Guiding light in discourse studies: a tribute to Deborah Schiffrin (1951–2017). Gender and Language, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.20318