Judy Bernstein (William Paterson University) held (in 2003–2004) a fellowship
with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS; A Systematic Study of the
Syntax of Appalachian English), and during that time resided in Johnson City, TN,
conducting research at ETSU and fieldwork in eastern Tennessee. Her tenure as an ACLS fellow was preceded by two joint trips with Tortora in 2002–2003 to ETSU and the
Archives, and a subsequent trip in preparation for this project (supported by Career
Development funds from William Paterson University). Bernstein also has previous fieldwork experience: in 1992, she conducted NSF-funded
research on Walloon, which resulted in her PhD thesis and several publications.
In 2002, Bernstein (with Tortora) was invited to teach at the Appalachian, Scottish,
and Irish Studies (ASIS) summer program at ETSU. She was invited to teach at ASIS
again in summer 2004. Her tenure as an ACLS fellow has enabled her to make numerous
contacts with promising informants. She has also developed a working relationship with
Billy Ward II, a native speaker of the variety of English spoken in his region of eastern
Tennessee and an Appalachian Studies major at ETSU. Mr. Ward currently works on our project as our regional consultant; his expertise, knowledge, contacts, and assistance
are proving invaluable to the fieldwork necessary for this project.