Bethany Davila, Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Writing, won the 2016 Outstanding Scholarship Award from the Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA) for her article, “The Inevitability of ‘Standard’ English: Discursive Constructions of Standard Language Ideologies,” originally published in Written Communication Volume 33, Issue 2. Davila’s article “examines the role of language in perpetuating perceptions of standard English as linguistically neutral regardless of personal or field-wide views about linguistic equality and the value of linguistic diversity.” Drawing on interview data, Davila describes the discursive practices of standard language ideologies that allow for a positioning of standard English as normal, natural, non-interfering, and widely accessible. You can read the article in full here.
The Council of Writing Program Administrators “is a national association of college and university faculty with professional responsibilities for (or interests in) directing writing programs” that “publishes a journal and newsletter, holds an annual workshop and conference, makes grants and awards, develops position statements, offers consulting and program evaluation, and fosters extensive discussions about college writing and writing programs.” To learn more about the CWPA, visit their website.
