Tribute to Jane H. Hill

Jane was so kind and supportive. I will miss her, but we have the legacy of her inspiring work.

I met doctor Hill a few years ago when she visited London, Ontario. She was a very special and generous scholar who seemed tireless. Her work has been very helpful for me, both in my writing and my teaching. I remember her fondly and my thoughts are with her family and friends.

I didn't know about this today, when my Language and Culture class discussed her important and helpful work, The Everyday Language of White Racism. I've used it three times, enough to see a pattern in student reactions. The prevailing sentiment is that students want to commit Dr. Hill's central thesis to heart. They want to work on themselves as small parts of the whole complex phenomenon, and she gave them a set of ideas to help them do so. She will live on through many of us, me included, and I will teach her ideas as long as I'm around.

There is nobody like Jane, simultaneously brilliant, committed, generous, and hilarious. Her contributions to the fields and worlds she worked in are indelible. I will miss her very much.

I never met Jane, but her book “The Everyday Language of White Racism” has had a profound impact on both my personal and academic life. She leaves us with a great legacy.

Jane was Acting Chair of Linguistics my second year at the UA, and mentored me both directly and as a model through my transition from newly minted PhD to functioning member of a department. I particularly remember her consistent good humor and her ability to focus on the logic of a situation without losing track of the human side. I don't know how well my colleagues would say I emulate her, but she is still an aspirational role model for me.

I met her once last year in class, she was calm, kind, really sharp and energetic. I love reading her work which not only provide critical insights and thoughts but also teach us the merits of academia. she will keep inspiring us, as scholars, and as humans.

Felicitaciones, un honor muy merecido. Gracias por el mejor ejemplo de una profe comprometida con la defensa del habla del pueblo.

An inspiration to all. She will be missed

I admired Jane for her brilliance. I loved her for her complete lack of pretension, her irreverence and her kindness. I always knew that Jane was just Jane, there was no need to read between the lines or wonder if something was being left half said. As fascinating as she was, she always made you feel that you were the most interesting person in the room. I will miss the twinkle in her eyes.

Jane Hill was on my doctoral dissertation committee- like she was on so many others. Her critical insight improved it in so many ways, and provided me with the needed encouragement at the time. She will be missed.

Thank you, Jane, for your intellectual vision and for sharing your brilliant insights with us over the years. Jane's voice - earthy warmth and spectacular wit.

My deepest condolences to the family members, friends relatives on the sad demise of Dr. Jane H. Hill, linguistic anthropologist, Professor Emerita of Anthropology at University of Arizona and past President of the American Anthropological Association,

She is such a role model. Her influence will stay with us for a long time.

She was an inspiring individual

When I was just beginning my M.A. program, I read the chapter on codeswitching in "Speaking Mexicano" and I thought "this is the coolest thing I've ever read and this is what I want to do with my life." I didn't know Jane personally, but her work influenced me in important ways. It is clear, from reading these tributes, that she was far more than a brilliant scholar, but through her scholarship she touched the lives of many people she didn't even know, in profound and lasting ways.

I strongly agree with the TRIBUTE FOR THE ONE AND ONLY JANE HILL.

Very sad to hear the news of Dr. Jane H. Hill's passing. Hill was influential in my understanding of community ownership (vs. universal ownership) of language. Hill shifted my perspective away from viewing languages as a “resource” (Hill 2002, 122).

Querida Jane, Este mensaje no lleva un artículo adjunto, solicitando tus comentarios y opiniones o una invitación para que vengas a dar un curso a la ENAH. Lleva mi cariño y gratitud por toda la experiencia y conocimientos que generosamente nos ofreciste y nos has legado. Dora Pellicer

Jane's work was a major inspiration to me when I was a student. Consequently, I've organized a lot of my teaching around her work. The Everyday Language of White Racism is the centerpiece of my Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. So many of my students initially reacted defensively to that text - but then read on to slowly recognize the personalist logic informing that very defensiveness. The artful way Jane set up the conditions for such students to themselves provide - and then recognize -illustrations of her argument has been such a powerful pedagogical tool. It was a thrill to bring her to campus several years back to give a lecture - so many of my then current and former students showed up excitedly. When, in introducing her, I mentioned how many of our students had found her book transformative, a really loud affirming sound rose up out of the crowd. I'll be heading into the current iteration of that class tomorrow - when it so happens that we'll be discussing her work. I know that my students will join me in mourning the passing of a truly great anthropologist.