Sociolinguist, Author, Professor of Linguistics | University of Nevada
Valerie Fridland is a Foundation Professor of Linguistics in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Reno and the author of “Like Literally Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English” and “Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents.”
A two-time National Endowment for the Humanities fellow and the recipient of the Linguistic Society of America’s Linguistics, Language, and the Public award, Valerie’s work explores how social changes, linguistic forces and psychological tendencies reshape our language over time, impacting the way we think about and talk to one another. She writes a monthly blog on language-related topics for Psychology Today, is a regular guest writer for the popular “Grammar Girl” podcast, and has a lecture series, Language and Society, available with The Great Courses. She has appeared as a language expert in a variety of media outlets such as NPR, Armchair Expert, NBC, The Washington Post, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.