Boise State University Linguistics Department

10/13/2026

Meet Gail Shuck, Director of our English Language Support Programs 📚

Her path here wasn’t exactly a straight line: an anthropology degree, a course that changed everything, teaching English in Malaysia and then Japan, grad school, and finally landing on our faculty in 2001.

Along the way, she fell for language ideology: the (mostly invisible) beliefs about language that are tangled up with race, class, gender, age, and nationality. She’s been helping people notice it ever since.

Her advice to students? Accumulate experiences, and people. The relationships you build here will carry you well past graduation.

And don’t get her started on the myth that there’s one “standard” English every educated speaker agrees on. (There isn’t. It’s basically the thesis of her Language Myths course.)

Check out the photos to get to know her, tea order included ☕️ Alumni, share your favorite memory from her classes in the comments 👇
🔗 Read her full bio: https://www.boisestate.edu/linguistics/2026/10/13/faculty-spotlight-dr-gail-shuck/

09/29/2026

Keeping Heritage Languages Alive: a talk by Dr. Ander Beristain

How do heritage languages survive alongside a dominant majority language? Join the Boise State Department of Linguistics for a talk by Ander Beristain, Associate Professor at Saint Louis University.

He'll go over what we know about bilingual development in early childhood, then compare different language-learning approaches, using Boiseko Ikastola as a case study.

📅 Wednesday, September 30
🕐 1:30-2:45 PM
📍 Liberal Arts Building, Room 257

Everyone is welcome. Bring a friend, a question, or a language you grew up with.

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09/14/2026

What do you do with a linguistics degree? For alum Jacob Ashton, the answer was: see the world by bike.

Swipe through for his story — from a Boise State classroom to a two-month ride through Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam.

Read Jacob's full story: https://www.boisestate.edu/linguistics/2026/08/14/alumni-spotlight-jacob-ashton/
📸 Photos: Jacob Ashton

04/21/2026

Calling all word lovers! Join the Linguistic Society of Boise State’s Wordle Tournament!! ⏰ this Thursday, April 23 — 1pm to 3pm! 📍Albertsons Library, behind Cafe 32 👀 see you there!! Snacks and prizes provided!

03/02/2026

🚨 ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT! 🚨

Support our Linguistics students at ! 🧠✨

Your gift helps fund: 📚 Conference presentations 🎓 Research opportunities
🌍 Professional development experiences 💼 Career-building workshops

Every dollar makes a difference in shaping the next generation of linguists!

👉 Give now: https://broncogivingday.com/campaigns/department-of-linguistics-excellence-fund

03/01/2026

Just three days until the official launch of Bronco Giving Day 2026!

Help us fund professional development experiences for our students -- every dollar counts!

Want to donate early? Visit our page at https://broncogivingday.com/campaigns/department-of-linguistics-excellence-fund

02/28/2026

🧡💙🧡💙🧡 We're gearing up for Bronco Giving Day! Once again, we'll be fundraising for the Department of Linguistics Excellence Fund -- a fund dedicated to providing financial support for professional development opportunities for our undergraduate students. Past recipients of our mini grants include students who have presented at international conferences, those completing their TESOL certification, and students conducting mentored undergraduate research. We hope you consider supporting our amazing students -- every dollar counts, and early giving has already begun! 🧡💙🧡💙🧡

The Department of Linguistics Excellence Fund supports diverse student engagement opportunities in language study from service learning with refugee resettlement agencies to research in the Linguistics Lab and participation in Project SHINE and English Language Support programs. This fund enables ha...

02/19/2026

Attention alumni!! We're having a mixer! Please join us!

Linguistics Alumni Mixer
Thursday, February 26th, 2026

4:00-6:00 PM

Join us for an evening of re-connection and community!

Come together with fellow linguistics alumni and current seniors and faculty. This is your chance to reconnect with classmates, share stories with those who helped shape your journey, and discover what exciting developments are happening in our department today. Light snacks will be provided.

We can't wait to see familiar faces and welcome you back into our academic community!

Light snacks will be provided.

Partake in good company, great conversation, and valuable connections!

RSVP at the link below for a drink ticket on us!

https://tinyurl.com/BSULingAlumMixer2026