Brandon Lane Barr
About Me
I’m a sociolinguist, (critical) discourse analyst, and qualitative researcher. My research focuses on how we use food, in addition to language, to meaningfully communicate across a wide array of contexts. Professionally, I’m interested in how restaurants multimodally communicate their brand identity through the physical design of their interior spaces and its linguistic landscape in addition to the haptic aspects of the dining experience.
I’m currently conducting research that investigates how individuals on the far-right use food as a means of communicating their political ideologies in a deceptively palatable way. Other projects I’ve done have focused on the communication of authenticity in restaurant branding materials and forensic linguistics.
Education
Truman State University | Kirksville, MO
B.S. Linguistics | 2017-2020
Georgetown University | Washington, DC
M.S. Sociolinguistics | 2022-2024
Expertise
Discourse Analysis
Discourse Analysis is a method of analyzing language in a fine-grained qualitative manner. Within Discourse Analysis there are different approaches but, by and large, discourse analysts want to uncover how we can infer meaning and intentions by what people choose to say (or not) in addition to how the language we use is shaped by and currently shaping our interactions with other people.
Ethnographic Field Work
Ethnographic field work involves the immersion of the researcher into the physical and digital spaces of the community or group under investigation. The goal is to make careful systematic observations of communicative behavior to understand how interactional goals are being achieved by community members.
Multimodality
Multimodality refers to the way we systematically communicate meaning and ideas through the simultaneous use of language, gesture, images, sound, typography, layout, and color. Taking this view of communication and interaction allows for us to understand how we express our thoughts and desires in a more comprehensive and holistic way.
Certifications, Skills, and Competencies
Certifications
CITI Human Subjects – Social and Behavioral Research Investigators and Key Personnel
Technical Skills/ Software
ELAN
Audacity
JASP
R
MS Office
Praat
LIWC
SPSS
Python
Language
English (Native Proficiency)
Spanish (Professional Working Proficiency)
Brandon Lane Barr 