Sally McConnell-Ginet (born 1938) is Professor Emerita of

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. She is known for her work on the language of

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

and

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

Education and career

McConnell-Ginet earned degrees in philosophy and mathematics before turning to linguistics, receiving a PhD from the University of Rochester in 1973. She joined the faculty of

in 1973, with a dual appointment in

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. She went on to serve as director of Women's Studies and founding co-director of Cognitive Studies, and chair of Modern Languages and Linguistics, as well as the later Department of Linguistics. McConnell-Ginet has served as president of the

International Gender and Language Association The International Gender and Language Association (IGALA), is an international interdisciplinary academic organization that promotes research on language, gender, and Human sexuality, sexuality. Claire Maree is its current president. History Th ...

and of the

Linguistic Society of America The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) is a learned society for the field of linguistics. Founded in New York City in 1924, the LSA works to promote the scientific study of language. The society publishes three scholarly journals: ''Language'', ...

(LSA). In 2008, she was elected a fellow of the LSA and of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

Personal life

McConnell-Ginet is an avid swimmer. She swam across

Lake Cayuga Cayuga Lake (,,) is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area (marginally smaller than Seneca Lake) and second largest in volume. It is just under long. Its average width is , and it is ...

for a charity event the day before her 75th birthday in 2013. She is also involved in local theatre, and teaches math at a maximum security prison as part of the Cornell Prison Education Program. McConnell-Ginet is married to Cornell University Professor Emeritus

Carl Ginet Carl Ginet (born 1932) is an American philosopher and Professor Emeritus at Cornell University. His work is primarily in action theory, moral responsibility, free will, and epistemology. Ginet received his BA from Occidental College in 1954, and h ...

Selected publications

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References

External links

Sally McConnell-Ginet
faculty page at Cornell University {{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell-Ginet, Sally Linguists from the United States American women academics Cornell University faculty Living people Sociolinguists University of Rochester alumni Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the Linguistic Society of America Linguistic Society of America presidents Women linguists 1938 births 21st-century American women