Serena Williams received her PhD in Linguistics from UC Davis in 2015 with an emphasis in sociocultural linguistics. Her dissertation research focuses on how couples construct identity through conversation and narratives about their weddings, revealing social change regarding the institution of marriage. Her interests include language learning and teaching, anthropological and sociocultural linguistics, discourse analysis, and research in the intersection of language, gender, and identity. Williams runs the website Linguistics for Change at http://www.linguisticsforchange.org
Sociocultural linguistics is a field that requires astute observation of the language of human interaction. In this field, I study the how and why of conversation, storytelling, and other categories of talk. I use mixed methods (both qualitative and quantitative) analysis to draw conclusions about what patterns of talking accomplish in the social world. I recently started a website, Linguistics for Change, in which I attempt to make research in linguistics relevant to the larger world.
