“Words Between Words: The Narrative Power of Silence & Non-Linguistics to Convey, Access, and Heal Traumatic Experience”

What is linguistically significant about silence? It is a useful tool for trauma sufferers, whose experiences are often difficult to articulate through conventional language. Trauma remains a prevalent psychological issue, yet it often remains misunderstood and unapproachable; the inherent incommunicability of trauma makes it a difficult condition for sufferers to communicate and for outsiders to understand. We must learn the significance behind non-linguistic communications, as these help to convey a sufferer\u27s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In my approach, “Reciprocal Therapy,” the listener takes responsibility for understanding the intricacies of trauma and its incommunicability. I also call this the “Empathy Approach” because of the underlying linchpin of personal investigation into trauma and its effects on the everyday life. I also propose the addition of “Quiet Linguistics” to the linguistic canon, on the logic that silence and other non-words are elements of communication necessary to be studied scientifically— especially in therapeutic cases

Dear Friend: Letters from Elizabeth Ott to Alton Easton

This is the culmination of a class project created by students in Dr. Elizabeth Fleitz\u27s English 36500: Digital Humanities course during Fall semester 2020. This site collects the letters of Elizabeth Ott, Lindenwood College teacher, written to her fiancé Alton Easton, in 1847-1848. Her letters are long, chatty, and give insight on people and events in the St. Charles area at the time, as well as illuminate the personality of Ott herself. We have transcribed each of these letters, and briefly summarize and annotate them to guide the reader in their exploration