Suzanne Wagner
- (She/Her)
- wagnersu@msu.edu
- Wells B-463
- Associate Professor
- Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures
Biography
Suzanne Evans Wagner conducts research on the social motivations of language variation and language change. She is primarily interested in post-adolescent sociolinguistic modification at all levels of the grammar, and in how change over the individual lifespan interacts with language change at the community level. Some of her work has investigated ongoing sound change in the Lansing, Michigan area. More recently, she has been collaborating with her Linguistics colleague and MSU Sociolinguistics Lab co-director Dr. Betsy Sneller on the MI Diaries project, investigating language change across the entire state. Dr. Wagner’s work has been published in Language Variation and Change, Language in Society, American Speech and Language and Linguistics Compass, among other venues. With Isabelle Buchstaller, she is series editor of Routledge Studies in Language Change, and a co-editor of Panel Studies of Variation and Change. Suzanne has served twice as the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures; she was also Graduate Program Director for the Linguistics BA-MA, MA, and PhD programs (2018-2024).
Works
- Wagner, Suzanne Evans, Betsy Sneller and Jack Rechsteiner. 2025. Sociolinguistic research projects as brands. Linguistics Vanguard.
- Sneller, Betsy, Suzanne Evans Wagner, and Yongqing Ye. 2022. MI Diaries: Practical and ethical challenges. Linguistics Vanguard 8(3): 307-319
- Sankoff, Gillian and Suzanne Evans Wagner. 2020. The long tail of language change: A trend and panel study of Québecois French futures. Canadian Journal of Linguistics 65(2): 246-275.
- Wagner, Suzanne Evans and Isabelle Buchstaller (eds.) 2018. Panel Studies of Variation and Change. Routledge Studies in Language Change. Routledge Ltd.
College of Arts & Letters News
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College of Arts & Letters
August 4, 2026The impact of Michigan State University’s College of Arts and Letters extends far beyond campus. Across Michigan, students, faculty, and alumni are putting the arts and humanities to work through education, language access, accessibility, public engagement, and creative […] Read Now →
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College of Arts & Letters
April 8, 2026The 2026 Michigan State University Science Festival, celebrating and exploring science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, takes place throughout the month of April, offering free events for all to enjoy. Two of those events will be presented by MSU College of Arts […] Read Now →
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College of Arts & Letters
August 29, 2024Michigan State University Researcher and Assistant Professor of Linguistics Betsy Sneller was awarded $646,385 from the U.S. National Science Foundation, or NSF, to expand educational opportunities for students as part of the MI Diaries linguistics research project. Sneller and […] Read Now →
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College of Arts & Letters
January 18, 2024This article includes content and personal accounts about the Feb. 13 violence the Michigan State University community experienced and the aftermath. It may be disturbing and upsetting for some people to read. If you are grieving or in distress, there are many ways to seek […] Read Now →
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College of Arts & Letters
November 1, 2023As a Linguistics major with a minor in Indigenous Studies, Mikayla Thompson has a passion for Indigenous language revitalization and is a proud descendant of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Her journey highlights the enduring power of ancestral connections and the unwavering […] Read Now →
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