Dr. Eric Louis Russell is a professor, researcher and advisor–but to his colleagues, he’s known as the guy who is always “running to the dumpster fire of language.”
His newest book, Fighting Words! A Critical Approach to Linguistic Transgression, looks at some of these linguistic dumpster fires–what he calls “acts of linguistic transgression,” or the ways people cross boundaries through language.
Much of Dr. Russell’s research seeks to better understand moments that bring up our emotions. Fighting Words! certainly fits that bill, and stems from his years teaching HUM 15 (Language and Identity), a class that teaches students to critically think about the ways in which we use language–especially taboo language–while developing their writing and research skills.
He explains the necessity of learning about linguistic transgression by likening it to disease. “We don’t like the fact that there are many physical, biological diseases in the world, but we expect people to be studying them,” he says. “It’s the same thing with language. We don’t have to like things in order to study them. The things that we leave in the shadows often gain more power, so if we can shine some light in there…maybe we’ll disrupt some of it as well. We’ll certainly understand ourselves better.”
Dr. Russell makes this research accessible, both in his book and in the classroom, by focusing on real-life examples. From what he calls “the Karen phenomenon,” to the Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape, to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” (which he calls an “act of linguistic rebellion,” something that seeks to reappropriate or reclaim language that is typically deemed offensive), his goal is to find great examples that can reach the widest possible audience.
So what does it look like to be a language researcher? “It probably looks like someone who isn’t a lot of fun at parties,” he laughs. “It’s hard to turn that part of your analytical mind off, and this is happening around us all the time. It’s one of the great riches of it–but sometimes you just have to let things go.”
In more practical terms, he breaks his work into a few stages. After picking a topic, the first step is to build up an archive of where that type of language is being used. Social media, which he calls “the town crier of our era,” is one of his favorite places to collect data.
Once examples have been collected, Dr. Russell chooses theoretical frameworks that best describe what is happening. He’s always looking for what’s happening beneath the surface, especially power dynamics. He then interprets the data, analyzes it and builds an argument.
But the most important aspect of this research, he says, is humility: “You never fully know what’s going on in someone else’s mind.” He cautions that it’s necessary to recognize that nobody is unbiased, and it’s essential to be aware of the language we use and how we participate in society. “It looks a little messy, a little contingent, a little difficult…but that’s kind of the beauty of it,” he muses.
Ultimately, Dr. Russell is driven by curiosity, and encourages others to be curious too. “The questions we ask are more important than the certainties we think we hold. Ask questions, ask the next question, and be ready for questions to be asked of you. And be forgiving. We’re just human.”
Dr. Russell’s book, Fighting Words! A Critical Approach to Linguistic Transgression, is available now!
You can also listen to him and his colleague Kris Knisely chat about their work on how people are adjusting language in response to identities that don’t fit into gender binaries on the May 2024 episode of The Vocal Fries podcast, “Uneffing the Binary.”
Students: are you curious about the dumpster fire of language? HUM 15 (Language and Identity) is being offered in fall 2024 with Dr. Russell.