Shirley Brice Heath

Past research: Historical sociolinguistics, Mexico, Peru, and United States; language policy in Latin American nations; early child language development; language socialization.

Present and continuing research: later language development of older children and adolescents; theories of adaptation in language socialization, with special attention to peer culture and play; "implicit" learning or that which takes place without verbal instruction largely through observation and imitation; theories of learning through participation in the arts.

Areas of Specialization: Linguistic anthropology and human development, especially among children and youth in economically disadvantaged communities in the United States, England, South Africa, and Australia. Primary interests are oral and written language, youth development, race relations, and organizational learning.

Description of Research and Teaching Interests: Research is focused on linguistic and cognitive learning that takes place through means such as apprenticeship, mentoring, organizational management, and financial planning that depend on observing, listening, and modeling that goes beyond verbal instruction. Current research involves innovative means of enabling young artists who want to be community organizational leaders to have opportunities to advance their own work as artists while also studying nonprofit management and finance. This work is international and includes young people as members of the research team.