Education

Ph.D. in Linguistics, Ohio State University, 1998
B.A. in English and French (cum laude), Furman University, 1991

Areas of Specialization

Quantitative Sociolinguistics
Language Variation
African American English, Gullah

Recently Taught Courses 

UNDERGRADUATE
African-American English
Introduction to Language
Introduction to Language Sciences
Language and Gender
Language in the USA
The English Language

GRADUATE
African-American English
Introduction to Sociolinguistics
Seminar in Language Variation
Survey of Linguistics
Varieties of American English

Professional Accolades

2017-2018. Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP).
2015-2016. Pipeline for Academic Leaders (PAL) Fellow. The University of South Carolina.
2013-2014. Departmental Teaching Award. English Department. The University of South Carolina.
2011-2012. Associate Professor Development Award. The College of Arts and Sciences. The University of South Carolina.
2010-2011. Morrison Fellowship. English Department. The University of South Carolina.
2009. Research and Creative Projects Award. The Institute for African American Research. The University of South Carolina.

Books

   • 2021. Middle Class African American English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
   • 1994. Jannedy, Stefanie, Robert Poletto, Tracey Weldon, eds. The Language Files. 6th edition. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.

Articles

   • 2019. Race, class, and linguistic camouflage: Remote past BEEN and the divergence debate revisited. The Routledge companion to the work of John R. Rickford. Renee Blake and Isabella Buchstaller, eds. New York: Routledge. 115-132.
   • 2018. Sounding Black: Labeling and perceptions of African American voices on Southern college campuses. Language variety in the New South: Contemporary perspectives on change and variation. Jeffrey Reaser, Eric Wilbanks, Karissa Wojcik, and Walt Wolfram, eds. Chapel Hill: UNC Press. 175-202.
   • 2015. Britt, Erica and Tracey Weldon. African American English and the Middle Class. Oxford Handbook of African American Language. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 800-816.
   • 2015. Weldon, Tracey and Simanique Moody. The place of Gullah in the African American linguistic continuum. Oxford Handbook of African American Language. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 163-180.
   • 2013. Vignette on “Working with scripted data.” In Data collection in sociolinguistics: Methods and applications. Christine Mallinson, Becky Childs, and Gerarad Van Herk, eds. New York: Routledge.  228-231.
   • 2012. “Teaching African American English to College Students: Ideological and Pedagogical Challenges and Solutions.” American Speech: Teaching American Speech 87: 2. 232-247.
   • 2011. Labov, William, Sharon Ash, Maya Ravindranath, Tracey Weldon, Maciej Baranowski, Naomi Nagy. Properties of the sociolinguistic monitor. Journal of sociolinguistics 15: 4. 431-463.
   • 2007. Gullah negation: A variable analysis. American speech. 82: 4. 341-366.
   • 2005. Review article on The development of African American English, by Walt Wolfram and Erik Thomas, Oxford and Malden: Blackwell, 2002; and The historical evolution of earlier African American English: An empirical comparison of early sources, by Alexander Kautzsch, Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter,    • 2002. Language 81.2. 478-494.
   • 2004. Gullah: Phonology. A handbook of varieties of English 1: 2. Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 393-406.
   • 2003. Copula variability in Gullah. Language variation and change 15: 1. 37-72.
   • 2003. Revisiting the Creolist Hypothesis: Copula variability in Gullah and Southern rural AAVE. American speech 78: 2. 171-191.
   • 2002. Gullah Gullah islands. Language magazine. February edition. 31, 33-34.
   • 2000. Reflections on the Ebonics controversy. American speech (Diamond Anniversary Edition): 75: 3. 275-277.
   • 2000. Haller, Cynthia R., Victoria J. Gallagher, Tracey L. Weldon, Richard M. Felder. Dynamics of peer education in cooperative learning workgroups. Journal of engineering education 89: 3. 285-293.
   • 1994. Variability in negation in African-American Vernacular English. Language variation and change 6: 3. 359-397.

Recent Presentations

   • 2020. “Race, class, and camouflaged divergence.” Presentation for “Changelings” speaker series. Linguistics Department. The Ohio State University. November 2020.
   • 2020. “Façade in Leadership.” Advancing African American Linguist(ic)s Symposium. Panel presentation with Jennifer Bloomquist (Gettysburg College), Shelome Gooden (University of Pittsburgh), and Anne H. Charity Hudley (UC Santa Barbara). August 2020.
   • 2020. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at UofSC”. Presentation for University Libraries. University of South Carolina. May 2020.
   • 2020. “Inclusive Excellence at UofSC.” Teaching Towards Inclusive Excellence (TTIE) workshop presentation with Dr. Kirk Foster, College of Social Work. Hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
   • 2019. Workshop facilitator. “Networking and mentoring in higher education.” Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program. The University of South Carolina. November 2019.
   • 2019. “Language and identity in contemporary creole contexts: A comparative look at Gullah Geechee and Nigerian Pidgin.” Jessica R. Berry, Christine I. Ofulue, and Tracey L. Weldon. 1^st International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora (IGGAD) Conference. Myrtle Beach, SC.
   • 2018-2019. “Inclusive Excellence at UofSC.” Teaching Towards Inclusive Excellence (TTIE) workshop presentation with Dr. Michelle Bryan, College of Education. Hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, UofSC.
   • 2018. “Race, class, and linguistic camouflage: The divergence debate revisited.” English Department, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
   • 2016. “Gullah and the African American language continuum: History, culture, and survival.” Marronage as fractal: Creolization in the US panel presentation. 101^st Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) conference. Richmond, Virginia.
   • 2016. “African American English beyond the working class.” Future directions for research and engagement on African American Language panel presentation. New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV) 45 conference. Vancouver, BC.
   • 2016. “Race, class and camouflaged divergence: The case of BEEN and read.” American Dialect Society (ADS). Washington, D.C.

Other Information 

DOCUMENTARY
   • 2017. “Talking Black in America.” Co-Associate Producer with John Baugh, Renee Blake, Patricia Cukor-Avila, Lisa Green, Sonja Lanehart, Salikoko Mufwene, Jeff Reaser, John Rickford, Chanti Seymour, John Singler, and Arthur Spears. Producers/Directors: Neal Hutcheson and Danica Cullinan, Language and Life Project. Executive Producer: Walt Wolfram. Release date: March 2017.

SELECTED GRANTS
   • 2019-2021. Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI). “LSAMP Bridges to Doctorate.” National Science Foundation (NSF). Principal Investigator (PI): Harris Pastides; Co-PIs/Program Directors: Mike Matthews and Claudia Benitez-Nelson; Csilla Farkas: Co-PI (University of South Carolina).
   • 2018-2021. Research Collaborator and Advisory Board Member. “Talking Black in America, Part II: Mini-Series and Public Education.” The National Science Foundation (NSF). Principal Investigator: Dr. Walt Wolfram (North Carolina State University).
   • 2014-2017. Research Collaborator and Advisory Board Member. “Talking Black in America: A Documentary and Outreach Program.” National Science Foundation (NSF). Principal Investigator: Dr. Walt Wolfram (North Carolina State University).
   • 2014-2015. Contributing Scholar. “Out of the Rice Fields: Vestiges of Gullah culture in modern society.” The SC Humanities Council. Principal Investigator: Dr. Valinda Littlefield (University of South Carolina).
   • 2011-2013. Principal Investigator. “Middle class African American English.” Provost Internal Humanities Grant (University of South Carolina).
   • 2004-2006. Research Collaborator. “The evaluative component in linguistic change and variation.” National Science Foundation (NSF). Principal Investigator: Dr. William Labov, (Linguistics) The University of Pennsylvania. Co-research Collaborator: Dr. Naomi Nagy, (English) The University of New Hampshire.
   • 1998-2000. Consulting Investigator. “Gender and communication in Engineering teams.” Engineering Information Foundation (EIF). Principal Investigator: Dr. Cynthia Haller (English) North Carolina State University. Co-consulting Investigators: Dr. Victoria Gallagher, (Communications) and Dr. Richard Felder (Engineering), North Carolina State University.

SELECTED SERVICE
   • 2021-present. Strategic Planning Groups, The University of South Carolina
   • 2020. Future Planning Groups, The University of South Carolina
   • 2018-present. Centennial Planning Committee. Linguistics Society of America
   • 2018-present. Teaching Towards Inclusive Excellence Advisory Committee, Center for Teaching Excellence
   • 2019-2020. Chair, Committee on Ethnic Diversity in Linguistics (CEDL), Linguistic Society of America (also chair 2004-2005)
   • 2018-2020. Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC) (also member 2013-2016)
   • 2014-2016. Chair, Black Faculty Caucus. The University of South Carolina
   • 2012-2015. Graduate Council. The University of South Carolina