This week we are talking about talking.

The United States of America is a diverse country - geographically, demographically, and culturally, where every state has its own unique sense of identity. And a big part of that identity is language and dialect.

So in this episode, I want to understand why and how American accents are so different, both from each other and from the British, as I ask… why do Americans speak differently?

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Special guest for this episode:

• Valerie Fridland, a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is an expert on the relationship between language and society, and is co-author of the book Sociophonetics. Her latest book, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English is available to buy now.

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Highlights from this episode:

• The podcast explores the complexities of American accents, emphasizing their diversity across regions, which reflects the different cultural identities found in the USA.
• Differences between dialects and accents are discussed, with dialects representing broader linguistic variations while accents focus specifically on pronunciation features.
• Language evolution is shaped by both nature and nurture, as cognitive structures influence language change while social factors determine specific dialectal features.
• The historical context of language in America is highlighted, illustrating how early settlement patterns contributed to the development of distinct American accents over time.
• The impact of mass media on language and accents is nuanced, as it has not significantly altered established accents but can reinforce existing linguistic trends.
• The three-generation pattern of language loss among immigrant communities demonstrates how ethnic identities persist through evolving accents even when original languages are forgotten.

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Additional Resources:

Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland

Sociophonetics (Key Topics in Sociolinguistics) by Tyler Kendall, co-authored by Valerie Fridland

Why We Talk Funny by Valerie Fridland

ValerieFridland.com 

Language in the Wild | Psychology Today

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And if you like this episode, you might also love:

What Makes Country Music so American?

Are the Oscars Still Relevant?

Why Does Everyone Love Disney?

Could Friends BE Any Bigger?

How Accurate is Forrest Gump?

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Mentioned in this episode:

This episode is sponsored by What's Your Map

What's Your Map is the British Podcast Award-winning show from map expert Professor Jerry Brotton. In each episode, he invites a special guest to share a map that means something to them. It's a fascinating show, and you can listen to the new season right now: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/whats-your-map/id1766500219