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The 'why' behind how we talk
An accent doesn’t just tell someone where you are from – but who you are – your cultural background, race, age and class. How the way we talk tells people more than we think.
Guest
Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno. Author of several books, including "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good" and "Bad English, "and the upcoming book “Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents."
The version of our broadcast available at the top of this page and via podcast apps is a condensed version of the full show. You can listen to the full, unedited broadcast here:
Book Excerpt
From Why We Talk Funny by Valerie Fridland, published by Viking Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2026 by Valerie Fridland.
The first draft of this transcript was created by Descript, an AI transcription tool. An On Point producer then thoroughly reviewed, corrected, and reformatted the transcript before publication. The use of this AI tool creates the capacity to provide these transcripts.
This program aired on April 17, 2026.
