Pam Innes

While I am strongly committed to a four-field approach, my primary interest lies in linguistic anthropology. I have been active in language revitalization and retention work with members of the Muskogee and Seminole Nations of Oklahoma, the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma. Language and culture are so entwined that to lose one seriously compromises the strength of the other, and my work has been an attempt to help tribes retain their languages as a resource for future generations.

 

Currently, my research focuses on language ideologies, particularly how these influence the feelings and actions of immigrants to Iceland and the relationships they forge with others in their communities. Examining peoples’ views on language, what it is, what it does for them, and its value to society provides insights into how and why people use their language resources as they do in their day-to-day interactions. Understanding differences and similarities in language ideologies held by in-comers and longer-term residents also helps us to understand how and why certain kinds of miscommunications and misinterpretations arise and can be mitigated in intra- and cross-cultural interactions.