Walter L. Sistrunk

About

Walter Sistrunk is an associate professor of linguistic and ESL composition in the Department of Education and Language Acquisition. Dr. Sistrunk has a Ph.D. in African American and African studies and an M.A. in linguistics from Michigan State University. His research interests are syntax, syntactic variation, language acquisition, contact languages, language attitudes, linguistic ideology, and Hip Hop. Walter has published articles on relative clause constructions in African American English, the syntax and structure of African American English, and Black and Native history. He has also presented at conferences on first language acquisition, the intersection of theoretical and sociolinguistic, the origin and evolution of African Seminole Creole, Hip Hop Linguistics, women’s linguistic practices in Hip Hop, and first-year composition. Dr. Sistrunk is also active in the college community, creating co-curricular programs in which students, faculty, staff, and members of the community have participated in such events as the Hip Hop Pedagogy Conference in 2017, The Queens Hip Hop Festival 2018 and Hip Hop’s 50th Celebration 2023.