Faith Avis

Eileen Faith Avis (; 1924—2010) was a Canadian journalist, writer, naturalist and mother of three. and other dictionaries of Canadian English by Gage Ltd. As an unpaid female "assistant" to her linguist husband at the time, she was not afforded, common for women in the 1950s and 1960s, official recognition for contributions to the study of Canadian English.

Early life and education Faith Avis was born in Spalding, Saskatchewan. She earned a BA in journalism from Carleton University in 1945 as one of the two first graduates in journalism in Canada. One of her examiners was Douglas Leechman, who would become, with Avis's husband Walter S. Avis, one of the six editors of A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles (1967) — the "Big Six" in Canadian English

Career She was a regular contributor of reviews to the Kingston Whig-Standard daily newspaper. She was Honorary President of the Kingston Field Naturalists until her death on 6 February 2010.

Role in Canadian English In the 1950s and 1960s, women usually only played minor roles in linguistic research, if any. A recent biographer of Walter Avis and Charles J. Lovell reasons that "Faith Avis may have played a more major role in Canadian English than first meets the eye," as, common in these days, she not only typed her husband's manuscripts but had the university contracts on account of her education that her husband lacked. Faith hosted at least one academic event at Carleton with her husband.

At present there are no reliable indicators to suggest that Faith Avis directly carried out research on Canadian English. and their team

Works Faith, Avis. 2002. Women in Cages The Prison for Women and the Elizabeth Fry Society. Markham, ON: Quarry Press.