Regents' Professor of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson. [8], Outside of indigenous languages, Hill's other works often focused on the everyday uses of language in American society. In addition to describing the grammar and structure of these languages, Hill also researched their history and sociopolitical context. (Susan U. Philips), Cite as: Philips, Susan U. Copyright © 2017 Board of Regents | The University of Arizona | All Rights Reserved | Website Project by SBS Tech1009 E. 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She concluded that Mock Spanish, though seemingly benign, is used to "index and reproduce deep prejudices against Mexicans and Spanish speakers". : Advancing the Scientific Study of Language since 1924. Jane Hill, Regents’ Professor Emerita of Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Arizona, passed away on November 2 nd, 2018. means deployed in these usages erodes as well. University of Arizona and President-Elect of the American Anthropological During her career at Wayne State University and the University of Arizona, Hill made innumerable contributions to Uto-Aztecan linguistics, as well as sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology more broadly. “Jane H. Hill.” Anthropology News website, January 25, 2019. You led the AAA at difficult transformative times without any pretenses. Hill worked closely with linguistic anthropologist William Bright and wrote her dissertation on the grammar of Cupeño, the beginning of a lifelong commitment to the study of Uto-Aztecan languages. submitted the comment only. AN is supported [5], Hill's seminal contribution to the discussion of language and racism is her analysis of Mock Spanish, where white monolingual English speakers use preset, often grammatically incorrect Spanish phrases. During her career at Wayne State University and the University of Arizona, Hill made innumerable contributions to Uto-Aztecan linguistics, as well as sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology more broadly. Kenneth C. Hill). Concepts of formal requirements and of boundaries resonate in complex [5][3] From 1997–1999 she served as President of the American Anthropological Association. The core theory has been extended to describe Mock Asian, Mock Ebonics, and others.[5]. In life, Sally Engle Merry was a charismatic presence and a clarion voice in the profession, championing anthropology and especially the students and scholars ready to take the discipline in new directions. [3] In 2009 she retired as Regents' Professor Emerita of Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Arizona,[5][3] but continued to work on a variety of research projects until her death. Jane the gentle genius, the humble leader. of language death from very similar dynamics of "normal" language change Hill’s analysis of “The Voices of Don Gabriel” was a stunning demonstration of how the “mixing” of Spanish and Nahuatl was organized in and through the sequential structure of discourse. Jane A. Hill is a professor in anthropology at Rowan University, since 2012, and co-curator of the Museum of Anthropology at Rowan University (MARU). in non-threatened languages, especially since we have no theory of the [3] In 1983, she moved to Tucson, AZ to work at the University of Arizona as a professor of Anthropology and Linguistics. She has also published extensively on broader issues in language The two dimensions are Dr. Jane Hill Dept. ", (with Kenneth C. Hill) "Mixed grammar, purist grammar, and language attitudes in modern Nahuatl. "Languages on the land: toward an anthropological dialectology." [5][6] Around this time, Hill also successfully championed a program at the University of Arizona that would allow for a joint Ph.D. in anthropology and linguistics, a testimony to her influence in and passion for both disciplines. I have studied all dimensions of these languages, including their grammar and phonology, their sociolinguistic status, and their history. Phone: 520-621-2585 and 520-621-6298Email: Anthro@email.arizona.eduPlease visit SoA COVID-19 Information OR the School of Anthropology Research Restart Approval Process page: https://anthropology.arizona.edu/school-anthropology-research-restart-approval-process. moderated to ensure that current members are commenting. Languages can die quite independently of their speakers. the health of languages. Fellows are members of the Society who have made distinguished contributions to the discipline. Jane described her vocation on her departmental webpage:I attempt a precarious balancing act among diverse commitments: to the detailed documentation of languages and cultures and specialized expertise in technical tools such as comparative linguistic analysis, to the understanding of the scope and diversity of human history that is the glory of anthropology, and to using what I learn to advance social justice and mutual respect among human beings. Hill later expanded her work beyond descriptive linguistics to analyze sociolinguistic use of these languages, as well as the ways in which they are understood by those outside their linguistic community. Hill was born in Berkeley, California, and later lived in Los Angeles, where her parents, Mildred E. Mathias and Gerald L. Hassler, were on the University of California, Los Angeles, faculty. I have conducted field work on three of them: Cupeño, Nahuatl and Tohono O'odham. My primary research specialization is on the Uto-Aztecan languages. Hill's sociolinguistic work is not limited to English speakers, and works such as Speaking Mexicano: Dynamics of Syncretic Language in Central Mexico (co-authored with husband Kenneth C. Hill) and "The voices of Don Gabriel: Responsibility and self in a modern Mexicano narrative" address similar topics in the context of Nahuatl/Mexicano. Hill served as President of the Society for Lingusitic Anthropology (1993-1995), the American Anthropological Association (1997-1999), and the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (2001). [7] After Cupeño, Hill continued to work on indigenous American languages, especially those in danger of extinction. William Taft Stuart. ", "The grammar of consciousness and the consciousness of grammar. significant problem is to distinguish the formal and functional symptoms [10] In 2009, Hill was given the Franz Boas Award by the American Anthropological Association,[5] and her work was cited repeatedly in Christopher Ball's "Boasian Legacies in Linguistic Anthropology: A Centenary Review of 2011," published in American Anthropologist in 2012. General Anthropology Bulletin of the General Anthropology Division; Journal for the Anthropology of North America; ... Jane H. Hill. [5] Research on Mock Spanish was continued by Hill, Jennifer Roth-Gordon, Rusty Barrett, and Lauren Mason Carriss. DOI: 10.1111/AN.1072. As with all AN content, comments reflect the views of the person who We are doing our best to respond to calls and emails when they come in and will respond to requests as soon as possible. She really was intellectually engaged right up to the end of her life. © 2020 American Anthropological Association • I completed a reference grammar of Cupeño in the Fall of 2003, and am planning a book on Uto-Aztecan prehistory and the linguistic prehistory of the Southwest. Darnell, Regna and Frederic Wright Gleach. ", (with Ofelia Zepeda) "The condition of Native American languages in the United States. We are doing our best to respond to calls and emails when they come in and will respond to requests as soon as possible. JANE HILL is Regents' Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Arizona and President-Elect of the American Anthropological Society. [7] The grammar uses data elicited from Roscinda Nolasquez, the last living speaker of Cupeño, as well as field notes from other linguists that had previously studied the language. She was on the faculty of the Anthropology Department at the University of Arizona from 1983 to 2009 and … In Jane Hill’s mind no language was ever alone. She was a brilliant scholar who showed how language structures are shaped by economic and ideological processes in multilingual situations. of Anthropology University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721, USA e-mail: jhill@anthro.arizona.edu. Fellows are members of the Society who have made distinguished contributions to the discipline. Cylinder Seal Glyptic in Predynastic Egypt and Neighbouring Regions . Jane H. Hill died on November 2, 2018, in Tucson, Arizona. Her notable publications include "Language death in Uto-Aztecan", "Hasta la vista baby: Anglo Spanish in the American Southwest", and The Everyday Language of White Racism. ", This page was last edited on 22 September 2020, at 20:43. Staff and faculty are working remotely and all remain on email and able to set up phone and virtual meetings upon request. Much of this work examined the way White Americans use language to subtly retain power and control. Phone: 520-621-2585 and 520-621-6298Email: Anthro@email.arizona.eduPlease visit SoA COVID-19 Information OR the School of Anthropology Research Restart Approval Process page: https://anthropology.arizona.edu/school-anthropology-research-restart-approval-process. Staff and faculty are working remotely and all remain on email and able to set up phone and virtual meetings upon request. Please be aware that ", "Possible continuity theories of language. She was president of the American Anthropological Association, 1997–1999. She is remembered as a respected academic, an admired mentor, and as a kind role model. Tributes and memories of Jane can be shared here. Hill passed away on November 2. Search for more papers by this author. In everything she wrote she modeled a multilingual vision of language. [3] While at the University, Hill received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the American Anthropological Association. Jane Hill was greatly regarded by her anthropology and linguistics colleagues at the University of Arizona. Her interests are primarily in Native American Hill published more than 100 articles and chapters, as well as eight books,[3] spanning many sub-disciplines of both linguistics and anthropology. The Hills’ research on variation and change in the Nahuatl (Mexicano) language as a consequence of Spanish colonialism in Mexico, was foundational for many of her contributions to anthropology. She was president of the American Anthropological Association, 1997–1999. [5] She raised important questions about the way those advocating for endangered languages talk about the languages and people who speak them, and how their rhetoric may "inadvertently undermine [their] goals of advocacy".