Lefkowitz Named CWU Distinguished Teaching Professor

June 9, 2005

Contact: Jessica Rossi (509-963-1493/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: rossij@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Dr. Natalie Lefkowitz, Central Washington University Spanish professor, has been named the university's 2005 Distinguished Professor in the area of teaching. The award recognizes her contributions to her field for 11 years at CWU.

Lefkowitz, who specializes in Spanish, French, and applied linguistics, grew up in an ethnic section of Brooklyn, New York, where her passion for foreign languages and cultures evolved. As a young girl, she developed a curiosity about the customs and traditions of her European grandparents, and those of her friends' immigrant parents.

While encountering different stories, music and foods, Lefkowitz would also pay close attention to the variety of languages, dialects and accents around her -- from Russian and Italian to Chinese and Spanish.

"Their distinct ways of communicating fascinated me," she says, "and I enjoyed comparing them to my own. The seed for my future career was planted."

Based on that background, Lefkowitz has established creative methods for language learners and future foreign language teachers by using visuals, props, art, music, storytelling and popular culture to enhance their learning experience.

"Something magical happens to me when I enter the classroom. I enjoy my profession so much." Lefkowitz acknowledges. "It is a creative outlet that allows me to bring together many of my personal interests."

A guest lecturer and invited visiting scholar at other colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest, Lefkowitz speaks on topics as diverse as methods and materials for teaching second and foreign languages, grammar, the French language game, "Verlan," and her sociolinguistics and pedagogical research.

Verlan is a form of French slang similar to pig Latin. It is a suburban street language spoken by marginalized ethnic groups for the purposes of concealment and identity marking.

Popularized by the media, Verlan has penetrated French society and language to such an extent, that many of the words are now in commonplace usage. Lefkowitz's research on Verlan recently received favorable attention from the New York Times and National Public Radio.

Lefkowitz is the author of four textbooks, "From Process to Product: Beginning to Intermediate Writing Skills for Students of ESL," "Impressions Personnelles," "Talking Backwards, Looking Forwards: The French Language Game Verlan" and "Varieties of English," as well as numerous articles related to language acquisition and instruction.

"I feel very fortunate that my classroom practice informs my research and that my findings have resulted in publications that will be used by the students and teachers that I mentor." Lefkowitz admits.

Along with being highly regarded as a classroom instructor, last year Lefkowitz received the "Faculty Mentor" award for her work advising 16 sociolinguistics undergraduate students who gave presentations at the university's "Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression." Two of her students earned "best poster" awards for their research projects.

Lefkowitz received her master's degree and Ph.D. in romance linguistics from the University of Washington and her bachelor's degree in literature from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She resides in Ellensburg with her husband, Rob Ells, and their golden retriever, Gabe.

She will receive a commemorative plaque and a $2,500 monetary award at the 2005 CWU honors convention on Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m. in McConnell Auditorium.