Biography
John DePriest, PhD is an instructor of ESL who specializes in linguistics, with an emphasis on the phonetics, phonology, and syntax of English. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and German from Belmont University in Nashville, TN, before going on to earn both a Master’s and Doctorate in Linguistics from Tulane. His dissertation focused on phrase boundary perception in language and music, utilizing EEG and behavioral results to compare neurotypical and autistic individuals’ responses. In the English for Academic and Professional Purposes program, he teaches ENGL 1011 – Writing for Academic Purposes, TESL 3220 – Structure of English for Teaching, and SCEN7650 – ESL Speaking Skills as part of the regular curriculum, and Intensive English, two writing classes, and two speaking classes as part of the non-credit ESL program. When not teaching, learning, or researching languages, John plays banjo in numerous bands around New Orleans, and is a prolific songwriter.
