Katie Carmichael

Katie Carmichael is an Associate Professor at Virginia Tech's College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Department of English. She serves as Director of Language Sciences and Co-director of the Speech Lab. Her research focuses on language variation/change, language ideologies, and language-place connections, particularly in Louisiana French and Southern US dialects like New Orleans English and Cajun English.

• Director of Language Sciences
• Co-director of Speech Lab
• Active in language research and teaching

Carmichael's work centers on variationist sociolinguistics, exploring topics such as:

• Low-back vowel mergers in New Orleans English
• Intergenerational dialect change
• Raciolinguistic identity in Creole communities
• Phonetic/phonological diffusion patterns
• Language endangerment in Louisiana French
• Place-linked dialect awareness

Scientific recognition includes:

• Roger W. Shuy Best Paper of the Year in American Speech (2024)
• Exemplary Program Award for Language Sciences (2024)
• University Award for Excellence in Teaching (2024)
• College of Liberal Arts Certificate of Teaching Excellence (2024)

She teaches graduate-level courses like "Language and Place" and undergraduate courses including "Language and Ethnicity," "Language and Society," and "Contemporary Approaches to Linguistics II."

As Co-director of Virginia Tech's Speech Lab, she leads research on acoustic phonetics and sociolinguistic variation.