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Biography
When Jessica Boynton started as an undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan University in 2002, she already knew that she wanted to be Linguistics major. After listening to others speak English, Spanish, French and German throughout her childhood, it seemed only natural for Boynton to become interested in foreign languages. In high school, while Boynton studied French and Spanish, she noticed and was intrigued by, the similarities in structure between the languages. Combined with an interest in literature and writing, Boynton states, “Linguistics is the mortar that holds together virtually every academic passion I’ve ever had.”
Ironically, her search for a martial arts dojo in Ypsilanti, Michigan is what led to her decision to go study linguistics exclusively. “I met with a martial arts instructor to talk about his dojo. We started talking about my interests and he suggested that I pursue a degree in linguistics rather than education . . . He’d gotten his M.A. in linguistics and took great pleasure in describing the program and discipline to me.” After a bit of research, Jessica was hooked.
Although the linguistics program at EMU is small, it offers big opportunities for its students. EMU is the host institution for the Linguist List, the world’s largest online linguistics hub. Many students worldwide are drawn to EMU because of the opportunities that the working for the Linguist List presents. Jessica states, “Working at Linguist List, we get the chance to interact with prominent linguists, travel to the Linguistics Society of America annual meeting, and do work that is truly valuable to the field. Moreover, we get to be a part of one of the most diverse crews on campus in a friendly and supportive academic atmosphere.”
In addition, research is a key component to the linguistics program of study and is encouraged by faculty from the very beginning. Boynton states, “Because of all the research EMU has enabled me to do, I have a working knowledge of various subfields in linguistics. A generalist background will enable me to hold my own in future linguistics courses and to chat about linguistics with just about anyone.”
Jessica will put her M.A. to good use after graduating from EMU. “I’m moving to Australia to earn a Master’s in Linguistics there, and to document Tjupany, an endangered aboriginal language spoken by less than 20 people.” She’ll then go on to earn her PhD and begin a career in language documentation/revitalization.
-- Venus Gregory
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