Specialization
sociolinguistics, speech pathology, language variation, syntax morphology interface, Black language and culture, dialect difference vs disorder, The language of style, The language of gaslighting
Education
2019 Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst Linguistics
2010 MA Communication Sciences and Disorders University of Massachusetts Amherst
2007 MA Sociology Stanford University
2006 BA Linguistics Stanford University
Certifications
Speech Language Pathologist
Bio
Dr. Conner is an interdisciplinary linguist whose work bridges formal and sociolinguistics, as well as sociology and psychology, to address questions of linguistic (in)justice and (in)equity. As an experimental syntactician, Conner studies the syntax and morphosyntax of Black American English and ellipsis phenomena. She is especially interested in how theoretical descriptions of English dialects can extend beyond the page to impact education, speech pathology, and social justice for dialect speakers.
Dr. Conner also serves as Director of the Speech, Language Sciences, and Disorders Program, which prepares linguistics students for careers in speech-language pathology by grounding them in the science of language while equipping them to work with diverse speech communities.
Her research engages the language of power across multiple fronts. One stream examines gaslighting through semantics, pragmatics, and theories of language and power, with the goal of clarifying its linguistic properties and social impact. A newer stream explores the language of style—how clothing and fashion operate as communicative systems that, like spoken dialects, articulate identity, agency, and belonging. Together, these projects reflect her commitment to uncovering how both words and wardrobe shape the stories we tell about ourselves and others, and how they can be leveraged toward greater justice, empowerment, and wholeness.
Current Projects
The Language of Gaslighting. To submit to American Speech. 2026.
Understanding the lived experiences of Black speech-language pathologists across the professional trajectory: An interdisciplinary approach (first author with Mary Bucholtz and Anne Charity Hudley).
The Color Code: Unlocking Joy, Wellness and Productivity through Style. (Book)
Adorned: The Language of Style. Closets, Confidence and Calling. (Book)
Father and Son Pastor Sermons: Monophthongization and Codeshifting (first author with Ivy Houser).
Interviews
2022 The Atlantic. Are you using Gaslighting Correctly? Interview of Tracy Conner.
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/04/are-you-using-gaslight-correctly/629522/
Publications
2023 Roberts, M.Y., Sone, B.J., Jones, M.K., Standley, M., Conner, T., Lee, D., Norton, E., Roman, J., Speights, M., Young, R., & Weisleder, A. (2023). What the evidence does (and does not) show for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention child development milestones: An illustrative example using expressive vocabulary. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research,6(9), 3622-3632.
https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00020
2021 Interview with John Baugh. Journal of English Linguistics, vol. 49, no. 4, Dec. 2021, pp. 459–474, doi:10.1177/00754242211047891.
2020 Questioning Questions: The Illusion of Variation in African American English Polar Question Intonation. Proc. 10th International Conference on Speech Prosody 2020, 220-224, DOI: 10.21437/SpeechProsody.2020-45.
2019 Lectal Focusing in an African American Sermon. (with D. Sharma, L. Hinrichs, and A.
Kortenhoven) In R. Blake and I. Buchstaller (eds.) The Routledge Companion to the Work of John Rickford. London: Routledge.
2019 Divorce licensing: Separate criteria for predicate and clausal ellipsis. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts, Amherst. PhD dissertation.
2014 Heads Must be Heard: Overtness and Ellipsis Licensing. In Parenthesis and Ellipsis. Ed. Marlies Kluck, Dennis Ott, Mark de Vries. Mouton de Gruyter Press.
2013 Removing obstacles for African American English-speaking children through greater understanding of language difference. (with B. Pearson, and J. Jackson) In
special issue, "Deficit or difference: Interpreting diverse developmental paths." N. Akhtar & V. Jaswal (Guest Eds.), Developmental Psychology.
2009 Rhetorical Markers in Developing African American English-Speaking Girls’ Language
(with L. Green) in African American Women’s Language: Discourse, Education and Identity. Ed. Sonja Lanehart. Cambridge University Press, 91-109.
Courses
-LING 191 Clinical Practicum in Speech language Pathology
-LING 194 Professionalization in Speech Language Pathology
-LING 136/36 Black American English
-LING 147 Intro to Speech Language Pathology