Chair of the new LSA Social Media Committee
The Linguistic Society of America has a new Social Media Committee, and I am the Chair of it. We’re less than a week past our Twitter Debut but so far it’s been a really smooth and fun experience working with this group. I’ve got some ideas I’m excited about implementing, too. Stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook (and to a lesser extent, LinkedIn)!
Here's How I Think This Works: Language
Last month I spoke to the guys at the pretty-new, DC-based podcast Here's How I Think This Works:
On Episode 6 of Here’s How I Think This Works, we talk about talking. We discuss when and why people started talking, what distinguishes lower forms of communication from a full-blown language, how different languages emerged, and how technology continues to drive the evolution of language. When we’re done talking amongst ourselves, we bring on guest expert Jennifer Nycz, Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University. Jennifer explains why most of what popular culture has taught us about linguistics is incorrect (apologies to fans of Arrival and Eskimo lore), and how different accents emerge among a population.
It was a lot of fun - looking forward to hearing more episodes!
Accent shift in Atlas Obscura
I spoke with Dan Nosowitz from Atlas Obscura about my research on accent shift among mobile speakers - the result is this very accessible introduction to some of my work (and that of Arvilla Payne and James Flege):
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/are-semester-abroad-accents-real-or-fake