BYU’s Positive Momentum
As we near Brigham Young University’s sesquicentennial, our campus is charged with becoming “a Christ-centered, prophetically directed university of prophecy.” We have come a long way in nearly 150 years.
January 2025
Why do word pairs, like jail and gel, and feel and fill, and pin and pen, sound like one word when they roll off some Utahns’ tongues?
It’s a question that Savannah Jepson is trying to figger out, or rather, figure out. In her study of English-language accents of the western US, the linguistics major has been observing the phonology—the study of sounds in language—of an isolated community of Lapoint, Uintah County. “The locals were shocked that a linguistic study was coming to their town because nobody’s ever done a study there.”
While Jepson isn’t sharing a lot of specifics about her research due to its ongoing nature, her hypothesis is that Lapoint has preserved its phonological patterns and therefore Utah’s distinct accent, which is dying out in more populated areas of the state.
Jepson learned about Lapoint, which has a population of around 170 people, from her roommate, a native. “She’d say specific things in a way that I thought was a little quirky, and that made me really curious about the town,” she says. So, when Jepson needed a study project for her varieties of English class, she knew exactly where to go.
After that first project, Jepson’s professor told her that she could turn it into a full-scale study if she wanted to. She jumped at the chance and received a research grant from the college.
“My roommate was surprised and amused that I wanted to study her hometown. She was intrigued to know about her own accent,” says Jepson.
The two remain close friends. “She has helped me connect with people and get to know the town every step of the way.”
To find research participants, Jepson and her sister knocked doors in Lapoint and asked residents if they were willing to read a five-minute-long word list and be interviewed for an hour. Not everyone participated, but no one she met was bothered by her being there. “Most people were just curious,” she says.
There have been lots of studies on the Utah accent, but most have been done in the state’s populated areas, Jepson says. “I’m the only linguist I know of that has conducted sociolinguistic research in the Uintah Basin.”
She is currently looking into why speakers with a Utah accent handle diphthongs (single-syllable multiple-vowel sounds) the way they do.
Originally Jepson figured that someday she’d be an English teacher. “This project made me realize I want to get into grad school and research language features,” she says. “I love constantly learning, and the idea of doing research for the rest of my life is amazing.”
Long term, Jepson aims to become a field researcher with a focus on recording and preserving undocumented and endangered languages. “This project sent me on a trajectory that I never thought I was going to go down, and I’m so excited about that.”
As we near Brigham Young University’s sesquicentennial, our campus is charged with becoming “a Christ-centered, prophetically directed university of prophecy.” We have come a long way in nearly 150 years.
Alana Portzline needed one final capstone experience—to record a full orchestra playing her original composition. But doing so would require some travel.
With a nearly three-to-one ratio between students and full-time employees, BYU Broadcasting gives students a wealth of opportunities for hands-on, real-world training in media and entertainment.
With only six weeks left on her mission in Salem, Oregon, Rachel Edmunds was asked to serve in a Spanish-speaking area. It was an eye-opening experience.
Savannah Jepson conducted a study of accents in Lapoint, Utah. “I’m the only linguist I know of that has conducted sociolinguistic research in the Uintah Basin.”
Since middle school, Thomas Garsnett dreamed of a career in the military. He envisioned himself “knocking down doors and blowing things up.” Something changed.
Nursing student Gabby Sutton-Clark has made it her purpose to assist the often-underserved community of neurodiverse patients.
“During my freshman year, one of my professors mentioned that working in baseball and statistics would be an option for me. Until that point, I didn’t even know that type of career path existed.”
A group of 18 journalism students and 2 professors traveled to Paris to cover the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Before graduating and becoming an elementary school teacher, Brenna Porter set a BYU record in the400-meter hurdles.
David and Debra Gehris have miraculous and unlikely BYU stories, beginning with their religious upbringing.
Students come to Brigham Young University seeking a unique collegiate experience. And no other university has the same expectation for a commitment to excellence alongside a mission to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.
Imagine traveling 2,340 miles on one gallon of gas. For the BYU Supermileage Team, that’s not a hypothetical.
Jane Drinkwater exemplifies BYU’s aim to prepare students for “lifelong learning and service.”
Jessica Dofelmire, a rising 2L and first-generation college student, became interested in litigation law. She was able to further explore this field during the academies program. She is excited to expand her professional network and be a resource for future law students.
An interdisciplinary BYU research team traveled to Nepal to measure brick workers’ exposure to pollutants and to assess their respiratory health.