Betsy loves all of the features of Language, but speech sounds are her favorites.
Betsy’s professional work can be found under the names Sara Elizabeth Miller and Sara Elizabeth Miller Newman
Betsy (she/hers)
I’m a PhD student in Linguistics at the University of Georgia with a specialty in sociophonetics. I’ve been described as a walking English department since my academic career began in Literature and Composition studies before turning to the scientific study of language. Between my studies I’ve been known to work in finance, on a municipal bond trading floor and annuity sales support. My current research remains as varied an interdisciplinary as my background, with projects on lexical diffusion in online spaces, identity construction of women athletes, and voice quality features.
I am also passionate about teaching and have been an instructor of record for many years while as a student and a graduate. I’ve taught multiple courses on Linguistics, Writing, and Critical Thinking during my career.
When I’m not doing Linguistics, I’m hanging out with my dogs, indulging in the sci-fi and fantasy I missed when studying Literature, working on one of my multiple fiber arts projects, or planning my next cosplay. Sometimes I do it on skates.
Research Interests
Speaker Accommodation
Language and Gender
Identity Construction with Language
Phonetics & Sociophonetics
Dialect Descriptions
Language in Social Media
Education
University of Georgia
PhD, Linguistics, in Progress
North Carolina State University
M. A., English (Linguistics), 2011
“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off?: Final Stop Accommodation in Married Couples.” Erik Thomas and Walt Wolfram, advisors
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
M.A., English (Literature), 2004
Appalachian State University
B.A., English, 2000
Betsy Miller 