Betsy Sneller

Betsy Sneller is an Assistant Professor in the Linguistics Department at Michigan State University, affiliated with the College of Arts & Letters. She co-directs the MSU Sociolinguistics Lab and serves as PI for the MI Diaries Project, a longitudinal study documenting regional linguistic variation.

Dr. Sneller's research focuses on language variation and change, with particular expertise in phonological evolution, sociolinguistic acquisition, and dialect dynamics. Her work combines experimental methodologies with community-based data collection to track structural shifts in speech patterns.

• $646,385 NSF Grant (2024)
• $650,000 NSF Grant (2021-2024)
• $99,908 NEH Grant (2022)

She has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate researchers, many of whom have progressed to academic roles after working on the MI Diaries Project. Her recent publications and media engagements examine the evolution of Michigan's regional accent and pandemic-induced language shifts.

The MI Diaries Project, under her leadership, has become a critical resource for understanding linguistic adaptation in crisis contexts, including the aftermath of the 2023 MSU shooting and global pandemic communication changes.