‘We recognize others are like us through the way they sound’: how accents shape our lives

A new book by linguistics professor Valerie Fridland, who was raised in Memphis by French parents, explores the power behind the way we speak Valerie Fridland writes in her new book, Why We Talk Funny: the Real Story Behind Our Accents, that humans instinctively to use accents to categorize those around us. “We learn to recognize other people as being like us through the way that they sound,” Fridland says. It happens early: studies suggest small children, when choosing friends, favor those w...

By Matthew Cantor