Hannah Piedad | Staff Writer
July 19, 2023
Featured Photo From Centre College
On July 10, Dr. John Kinkade, a former faculty member of the Governor’s Scholars Program, delivered an engaging convocation speech about the evolution of language and grammar. Kinkade opened his speech by bringing up the various language differences that we face day to day, like soda versus pop, and the differing pronunciations of Louisville. Kinkade delivered his speech with a very humorous undertone, continuously making jokes and making scholars and faculty laugh.
Throughout the speech, Kinkade walked scholars through the evolution of the English language, and explained why our language is the way it is. He talked about the famed Noah Webster, author of The American Spelling Book. Kinkade referenced this book as the stepping stone for modern American linguistics, discussing how many of Webster’s spelling interpretations caught on and are used today. Kinkade also mentioned African American Vernacular Language (AAVE), and when asked, he said that he hopes that there is more space for AAVE, as well as other forms of language in the future, and that he also hopes they are more widely accepted and validated.
After his speech, Kinkade opened the floor for scholars’ questions, and many scholars eagerly jumped at this opportunity. From inquiries about grammar rules to asking about Kinkade’s favorite words from different origins, scholars asked a wide variety of questions.
If there is any lesson to take away from Kinkade’s speech, it is that just because someone pronounces things differently or uses different colloquialisms, that doesn’t mean their form of language is lesser than yours, it simply just means that it is different. Kinkade’s speech seemed to be very well received by the GSP community, with many walking away from the convocation with a newfound perspective on linguistics and language.
