Carol Marie Myers-Scotton

Carol Marie Myers-Scotton, 92, passed away peacefully on October 23, 2026, at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She was born in February 1934, in Harvey, North Dakota, to the late Walter Myers and Pearl Myers.

Carol lived a remarkable and adventurous life that took her across the United States and around the world. Throughout her life, she called many places home, including North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, North Carolina, France, Wisconsin, Tanzania, Washington, D.C., Uganda, South Dakota, Nigeria, Kenya, New York, Connecticut, Michigan, China, South Carolina, and finally Virginia. Her love of different cultures, languages, and people was woven deeply into both her personal life and her professional career.

Carol earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Grinnell College in Iowa in 1955. She went on to receive her Master of Arts in English in 1961 and her Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics in 1967, both from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

A distinguished linguist, Carol spent much of her career teaching and conducting research in linguistics at universities in the United States and abroad. She served primarily at Michigan State University in East Lansing from 1976 to 1986 and at the University of South Carolina in Columbia from 1986 to 2003. In 2003, she returned to Michigan, where she continued her academic work as an adjunct professor and visiting scholar at Michigan State University.

Carol was a prolific scholar, authoring or coauthoring more than 100 articles and book chapters in the field of linguistics. Her work focused particularly on contact linguistics, sociopragmatics, bilingualism, and African linguistics. Much of her research explored the social and cognitive aspects of code-switching and bilingualism. She also authored six books, including Contact Linguistics and Multiple Voices.

Beyond her academic accomplishments, Carol was a woman with a deep curiosity about the world and a genuine appreciation for other cultures. She enjoyed traveling to foreign countries and spent many years living in various African countries. She became fluent in Swahili and maintained a lifelong connection to the people and places she encountered during her travels.

Carol had many interests outside of her professional life. She was an avid reader and a devoted dog owner for many years. When she moved to Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg in 2022, she brought her beloved dog, Bandit, with her. During her years in Michigan, Carol boarded her own horse and enjoyed dressage riding. She also practiced Pilates to help maintain her health and vitality throughout her later years.

Carol had a generous spirit and believed in helping others. Over the years, she contributed to many charities and causes that were meaningful to her. Among her acts of generosity, she sponsored the education of a young girl in Tanzania and helped a family from Kenya emigrate to the United States.

Carol will be remembered for her intelligence, curiosity, independence, generosity, love of animals, and extraordinary appreciation for the world and its many cultures.

She is survived by her son, Kenneth Scotton of Louisa, Virginia.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by, her brothers, John and David Myers.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that those wishing to honor Carol’s life consider making a donation to a charity that is meaningful to them.

Compassionate Cremation Services of Ruckersville, Virginia is honored to serve the family.