191. Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents with Valerie Fridland

Get ready to think more than ever about the way you talk and the way people talk to you as Emily and Kyle sit down this week with sociolinguist Valerie Fridland (https://www.valeriefridland.com/) to discuss her latest book Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents.

From baby talk to regional accents, the trio explores how our speech patterns develop as a combined effort of the brain and the world of speakers around us. History and culture shape the way people speak, and the way people speak shapes our judgments of them.

What does it mean to drop the ‘r’ at the end of a word? Posh British? Good ole Southern United States? Or perhaps native New Yorker? Dialects, accents, and the subtle ways they evolve weigh heavily on how we interact with one another. Fridland makes a case study of this with African American English, revealing a deep history that challenges the idea of “incorrect” speech.

As the conversation unfolds, Fridland highlights our perception, bias, and the shared responsibility between speakers and listeners to approach every conversation with consideration and compassion.

Get your copy now: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744046/why-we-talk-funny-by-valerie-fridland/