Within seconds of hearing someone speak, we make judgments about that person and their background, just based on their accent. Linguistics professor (George Mason University) explains how and when we develop accents and how these accents affect our identity.
Also: Written in early English, Geoffrey Chaucer's fourteenth century writings may seem impenetrable, with strange pronunciation and incomprehensible phrases. English professor (Virginia Military Institute) says the best way to approach Chaucer is to read it out loud and hear the musicality of the words.
More from With Good Reason
The Opera Singer
(53:48)
From: With Good Reason
John Aler made his operatic debut in 1977 as Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Since then, he’s performed in some of the greatest opera houses in the world and has won ...
Butterfly in the Typewriter
(53:54)
From: With Good Reason
A Confederacy of Dunces, by New Orleans-born John Kennedy Toole, is one of the great stories of American literature. A new biography of Toole tells two stories: one of the ...
The Honeybees Are Alright
(02:27)
From: With Good Reason
For years, a mysterious “colony collapse disorder” has been killing honeybees across the nation. This year, commercial beekeepers have reported losses of nearly 50 percent of ...
Rainbows on Demand
(53:51)
From: With Good Reason
Spotting a rainbow requires a bit of luck—you know, being in the right place at the right time. But not if you make them yourself. For over two weeks last summer, Michael ...
Apps for Employees with Autism
(02:26)
From: With Good Reason
As of January, there were over three quarters of a million apps available for our smartphones and iPods. Thanks to one occupational therapist, some of these apps have also ...
Giddy-up: A Therapy for Autism
(28:59)
From: With Good Reason
Horses and humans have long had a special relationship, but now therapeutic horse riding is helping children with Autism in some life-changing ways.
Do the Math
(29:00)
From: With Good Reason
Civil rights activist Bob Moses famously helped organize a voter registration drive in Mississippi that changed the political landscape for the black community. He also ...
Solving the Middle School Math Problem
(02:29)
From: With Good Reason
A $25 million federal grant has been awarded to improve math achievement in low-income middle schools across the nation. Ground zero for the program is Blair Middle School in ...
Cyber Teachers
(02:29)
From: With Good Reason
Writers of science fiction have long predicted a time when computers could engage humans in two-way communication, from R2D2 to the sinister Hal 9000 in 2001 a Space Odyssey, ...
Not Your Mother's Shop Class
(28:58)
From: With Good Reason
Shop class 20 years ago meant hacksaws and hammers, but today's shop class is about teaching innovation and creation through computer programming, 3D printers, and Legos.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Within seconds of hearing someone speak, we make judgments about that person and their background, just based on their accent. Linguistics professor (George Mason University) explains how and when we develop accents and how these accents affect our identity. Also: Written in early English, Geoffrey Chaucer's fourteenth century writings may seem impenetrable, with strange pronunciation and incomprehensible phrases. English professor (Virginia Military Institute) says the best way to approach Chaucer is to read it out loud and hear the musicality of the words.
Broadcast History
Broadcast on 10 NPR stations in Virginia and Washington, DC the week of June 7-14, 2008
Timing and Cues
IN CUE: Music bed
OUTCUE: . . . I'm Sarah McConnell. Thanks for listening.
FOLLOWED BY 00:29 sec music bed
Related Website
