Barbara Johnstone

Barbara Johnstone is a Professor of Rhetoric and Linguistics at Carnegie Mellon University's English Department. She earned her MA ('77) and PhD ('81) in Linguistics from the University of Michigan, where her dissertation focused on Arabic argumentative prose. Her research bridges sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and ethnography, with a focus on how language constructs place and identity. Notable projects include studies of regional dialects in Fort Wayne, Texas, and Pittsburgh, emphasizing 'place-making' through discourse. She has contributed to methodological frameworks in qualitative sociolinguistics and taught courses on sociolinguistics, discourse and identity, and American English variation. Johnstone served as Editor of Language in Society (2005–2013) and authored influential works like Speaking Pittsburghese. Her work integrates linguistic analysis with cultural and social context, reflecting a commitment to understanding language as a dynamic social practice.