What language says about who we are and where we live
ListenGuests: Mark Liberman & Joanne Joella
Are ‘vocal fry’ and ‘uptalk’ new trends? Don’t know what they are? Think of the valley girl accent spoken in a creaky-type voice. Many of us have only recently heard the low vibrating quality creeping into our American vernacular, but University of Pennsylvania linguist MARK LIBERMAN says this linguistic feature has “been common since forever.” Liberman comes in to talk with Marty about what language says about who we are and where we live: ‘sexy baby vocal virus,’ the changing Philly accent, and how corporate, sports, political and social science words and phrases are folded into our everyday language. And voice and speech coach, JOANNE JOELLA, joins us to discuss the importance of breath. She’s kept many people away from vocal damage.
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