Awards & Achievements
Excellence in Research Award
2003 Recipient - Shana Poplack
Respected linguist Shana Poplack has won the University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Research in
recognition of her pioneering research in sociolinguistics - the study of language as it's affected by social and cultural factors.
Poplack's research focuses on language used in every-day situations, particularly in bilingual and minority language contexts. Among her interests have been the descendants of former slaves in Nova Scotia and the Dominican Republic, as well as studying English and French as they are spoken in minority communities.
Her work has led to a better understanding of linguistic dynamics and has had important repercussions for language planners, curriculum developers and teachers worldwide. The foremost proponent of linguistic variation theory in Canada, Prof. Poplack is the founding director of the University of Ottawa's Sociolinguistics Laboratory, a world leader in the field.