Dr. Karen E. Lillie

Ph.D., Arizona State University
J.D., University at Buffalo School of Law

http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZrigJMAAAAAJ&hl=en

Karen E. Lillie holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics and a J.D.  This background provides the foundation for Dr. Lillie’s work in the areas of language policy and forensic linguistics.  More specifically, she focuses on examining (restrictive) language policy, language reclamation and language rights (particularly in educational contexts), and other intersections cutting across language and the law.

Dr. Lillie serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, having previously been the Associate Editor.  Recently, she was Executive Editor for the Buffalo Law Review.  She acts as a reviewer for many journals, collections, conferences, and book manuscripts, within the fields of language policy and education and in forensic linguistics.  Dr. Lillie serves on the Advisory Committee for the Language Policy Research Network (LPREN), an international group of recognized scholars who serve the field of language policy.

Office Hours

  • By appointment.

Research Interests

Language policy and forensic linguistics.



Specifically within language policy and schooling: (restrictive) language policies with a focus on the U.S.; language reclamation; language rights (particularly within education); and language discrimination.



Specifically within forensic linguistics: language rights for non-native English speakers; implications of language in legal settings and the criminal justice system for language learners; intersection of language policy & law; vulnerable witnesses; and police interviews.

Professional Membership

  • American Association for Applied Linguistics
  • International Association of Forensic Linguists
  • Language Policy Research Network

Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Programs

  • Project BELA, N/A (2012).

Intellectual Contributions

  • "Report for Tucson Unified School District for the United States Office of Civil Rights," N/A (N/A).
  • "Castañeda’s Third Prong Redux: The Achievement of Arizona’s English Language Learners after Proposition 203 (2002-2013)," N/A (N/A).
  • "Review of E. M. Feuerherm & V. Ramanathan (Eds.) Refugee resettlement in the United States: Language, policy, pedagogy," Language Policy (2017).
  • ""The ELD classes are … too much and we need to take other classes to graduated": Arizona's restrictive language policy and the dis-citizenship of ELs. In A. Loring & V. Ramanathan (Eds.), Language, immigration, and naturalization: Legal and linguistic issues," Multilingual Matters (2016).
  • "Making an example of Arizona: Analyzing a case of restrictive language policy for minority rights. In E. Stracke (Ed.), Intersections: Applied linguistics as a meeting place," Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2015).
  • "The lost generation: Students of Arizona’s SEI," International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (2015).
  • "SEI in Arizona: Bastion for states’ rights. In S. C. K. Moore (Ed.), Language policy processes and consequences: Arizona case studies," Mulitlingual Matters (2014).
  • "The four-hour block: SEI in classrooms. In S. C. K. Moore (Ed.), Language policy processes and consequences: Arizona case studies," Mulitlingual Matters (2014).
  • "Afterwords. In M. B. Arias & C. J. Faltis (Eds.) Academic language in second language learning," Information Age Publishing (2013).
  • "Separate and Not Equal: The Implementation of Structured English Immersion in Arizona’s Classrooms," Teachers College Record (2012).
  • "Policy in Practice: The Implementation of Structured English Immersion in Arizona.," The Civil Rights Project/Projecto Derechos Civiles (2010).