The 21st Show

What your accent reveals about you

Produced by Christine Hatfield
 
still images from a video interview: at left is a white man with brown hair, a black button-down shirt, and a podcast microphone in front of his face; at left is a white woman with long blond hair, a black blouse, and a spray of red carnations in a vase in the background

Illinois Public Media

Listen
Download

From “da Bears” in Chicago to “Hahvahd Yahd” in Boston, our accents shape how the world hears us — and how it judges us. Linguist Valerie Fridland explores how and why in her new book, "Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents," which traces how American speech patterns took shape over centuries and why they're still shifting today.

Guest

Valerie Fridland
Author, “Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents"
Author, “Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English”
Professor of linguistics, University of Nevada, Reno