Nandi Sims

Nandi Sims is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Stanford University, specializing in sociolinguistics with a focus on language variation and change in contexts of ethnic contact. Her research examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, and linguistic identity, particularly in African American and Haitian American communities in South Florida.

Research Interests:

• Prosodic rhythm and its role in ethnic identity marking
• Sociohistorical dimensions of African American Language (AAL)
• Linguistic variation among pre-teen populations and its sociopolitical implications
• Language contact phenomena in Miami's multilingual environments

Publications: Her recent work includes studies on prosodic rhythm differences among ethnic groups in Miami and historical morphosyntactic features of AAL. She has contributed to American Speech and presented at conferences like SECOL and NWAV.

Outreach: Dr. Sims created the Words in My World children's book series to introduce young learners to linguistic diversity, and co-hosts the podcast Much Language Such Talk, exploring topics like race and language variation.

Service: As a steering group member of the North American Research Network in Historical Sociolinguistics (NARNiHS), she promotes the growth of this subfield through conference organization and academic outreach.