1349: Valerie Fridland | Why We Talk Funny and What Our Voices Reveal
Summary
Jordan Harbinger interviews linguist Valerie Friedland to explore how accents function as social signals and influence perception. They discuss the Pan Am bomb threat case, where linguistic analysis proved a suspect’s innocence by distinguishing Boston and New York accents. The conversation covers why certain sounds seem "classier," the cognitive effort required to process unfamiliar accents, and how regional dialects are evolving or disappearing in the US compared to the UK.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and Intro
Guest Intro and Audiobook Speed
The Pan Am Bomb Threat Case
Accent vs. Dialect and Perception
US vs UK Accent Diversity
Sponsors: BetterHelp and ButcherBox
History of R-Dropping in English
New York Accents and Hollywood
Transatlantic Accent and Voice Acting
Sponsors: Paka and Marathon
Global English and Language Beauty
Childhood Language Acquisition
Sponsors: Midi and Everand
Heritage Languages and Fluency
TikTok Accent and Code-Switching
Outro and Final Sponsors
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