Chanelle Mays Transcript
State your name, age, what college you go to, and your major.
I’m Chanelle Mays. I’m 20 years old and I go to The Ohio State University, studying linguistics.
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in Elgin, IL, actually, which is outside of Chicago, but I grew up in various towns in Michigan, so I’m a Michigander at heart.
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What stories can you tell about your parents’ literacy values, about their educational values? Reading and writing values?
Um, when I was young my mom always pushed me to read, to write my name, and so I learned how to do those things early but um I think it was party because she didn’t finish college and that’s what she wanted me to do, sort of. Because the rest of her family had gone to college and even gone on to grad school and I think she was pretty much the only one who didn’t and I don’t think she wanted me to follow that path. So she was always pushed me in the academic realm. Same with my dad. He went to school for respiratory therapy but he ended up in the restaurant business like I said so I’ve always been pushed to not follow that path.
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What was your parents' socioeconomic status when you were a child? What is your socioeconomic status now?
Family circumstances—pretty average. I’d say we’re a middle class family. My dad has had many jobs that’s why we moved around so much. All in the restaurant business though and the place that I ended up settling down for middle school and high school which is the longest period I stayed put was because he owned his own restaurant. I don’t know I guess I would say we were comfortable but we didn’t have that much money to spare.
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How would your life be different if you didn't know how to read and write?
If I didn’t know how to read and write I’d never have started questioning language and how it works and I would never have discovered linguistics and then I wouldn’t be here.
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When you were growing up, what did your family think about computers and its value?
Um, computers, we got one when I was, I think in elementary school maybe like 4th or 5th grade and it wasn’t really used for anything besides checking email and playing a few demos of games but um you know as me and my brother got older the computer became more important because that’s how people, that’s how people, um connect to each other, that’s how people do their school work now. I mean you can look up anything and in a matter of milliseconds you’ll have the answer.
Do you have any stories about the value your family placed on computer literacy?
Oh, jeez. I don’t think so actually. I mean, my parents are pretty illiterate with computers. I’d say it’s me and my brother that have the expertise in that area.
Do you currently own a computer? What kind?
Yeah, I have a Dell latitude notebook, which is like a professional laptop and it’s served me well so far, but I think my next computer will be a Mac.
Do you have a particular preference or reason for Mac?
They use Macs in the linguistics computer lab, and I think that the interface is sort of user friendly, more so than a PC and to be honest I like the Photobooth function.
How frequently do you use your computer and what purposes do you use it for?
I use my computer pretty much all day every day. When I’m not at my personal computer I’m at the computer in my lab. Um, I use my home computer for email, I use it for facebook, like social networking, and I use it to look up you know graduate schools and things like that. Uh, the one in my lab I use for data analysis, stuff like that.
What stories do you have about using communication technologies like cell phones, chat, email, texting?
I remember that I got a cell phone after most people that I knew already had one. I think I was probably in 8th or 9th grade and so um it slowly became my lifeline. At first I didn’t really use it, I didn’t see the point in carrying it around with me. But now it’s attached to me at the hip. I actually forgot it today and I feel kind of disconnected. So, yeah.
Do you have your own website? If, so what’s it called, what’s it about, what’s on it.
Um, I don’t really have my own website other than I guess my facebook profile. I have a diary, a private diary online and then a diary I just use for my poems and that’s called caterwaulier.
Are you currently using computer technologies to aid you in your research for this program?
Yeah, I use statistically analysis software.