Why We Talk Funny - by Valerie Fridland (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A fun, smart and surprising dive into the past, present and future of accents - and the enduring power of sounding different

Accents have long held our fascination. As far back as the 7th century BCE, Egyptian pharaohs experimented with babies to test out theories about the "original" accent and the Old Testament relays how a small difference in the pronunciation of "s" became a fatal litmus test of tribal belonging. Still today, from dinner parties to job interviews, you'll find people kicking up dust about things like where and how to pronounce a 't, ' as in, never in "often," but with proper British poshness, as in "t(y)une."

In Why We Talk Funny, linguist Valerie Fridland unlocks the secrets of what linguistic science, psychology and history can tell us about the evolution of human speech, why accents develop, and how they shape our professional and social lives. With a healthy dose of her signature humor and captivating anecdotes, Fridland explores how the twin forces of physiology and psychology along with the need to fit in changes the trajectory of speech over languages and lifetimes, diving deep into the history and social forces driving the way people talk. Along the way, she emphasizes that accents don't always set us apart, they can also bring us together. Whether it's the accent that hints at your hometown, your group, your social status or your ethnicity, the sounds we say reveal a lot about who we are and where we've been - even for those who might think they have no accent at all.

The story of language is the story of humanity, and as Fridland reminds us, the funny sounds we make - whether from the mouths of ancient ancestors or the tongues of screenbound teens - all come from the same powerful desire to communicate and belong. Why We Talk Funny will change the way you think about your own accent - and transform the way you listen to the sounds of others.

Review Quotes

"Brilliant! Why We Talk Funny is for everyone who perks up when they hear an accent."--Mignon Fogarty, New York Times bestselling author and host of the Grammar Girl podcast

"Page after page of illuminating, entertaining answers to questions we all have about why people talk the way they do! I will be recommending this to language nerds everywhere."--Ellen Jovin, bestselling author of Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian

"A fascinating guide to unlocking the power of your accent. By exploring the surprising evolution of how we sound, Why We Talk Funny will make you a more empathetic listener and a more effective communicator at home, at work, and out in the world."--Scott Kaufman, author of Transcend: The New Science of Self Actualization

"There is a sense of discovery and joy on every page, thanks to Valerie Fridland's obvious and infectious passion for linguistics. Bursting with untold possibilities of what we're communicating without words when we speak, Why We Talk Funny will make readers irrevocably aware of how the way we say things determines how we move through the world!" --Joe Berkowitz, author of Away with Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions

"Bringing together heaps of fun facts and fascinating linguistic science, Why We Talk Funny celebrates what makes us sound distinct and all we have in common so that we can listen and hear each other in important new ways."--Anne Curzan, author of Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words

About the Author

Valerie Fridland is the author of Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English, and a professor of linguistics in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. She writes a popular language blog on Psychology Today called "Language in the Wild," and is a professor in The Great Courses series.