Geoffrey Nunberg
On Accents in Movies
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg considers why actors adopt foreign or regional accents in film -- and why they sometimes speak in their natural voice, regardless of the part they play.
Making Sense of Patriotic Fervor
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg tries to untangle the convoluted syntax of the Star-Spangled Banner.
On Accents in Movies
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg considers why actors adopt foreign or regional accents in film -- and why they sometimes speak in their natural voice, regardless of the part they play.
Finding the Right Phrase When Traveling Abroad
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg considers the strange uselessness of foreign language phrase books for tourists and travelers.
The New Glut of Legends
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg considers the use of the word "legend," which he believes ascribes too much importance to what could more accurately be described as "fame."
Taking Nationalism Too Far
Linguist Geoff Nunberg believes that the American disdain for foreign language education is a holdover from our isolationist past -- and a detriment to our culture.
Making Sense of Patriotic Fervor
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg tries to untangle the convoluted syntax of the Star-Spangled Banner and Pledge of Allegiance.
The Linguistic Legacy of the Hippy Generation
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg considers which phrases and slang from the 1960s endured, and which ones sound dated today.
Resolving Speech and Class Differences
Linguist Geoff Nunberg reviews the current Broadway production of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, which stars Peter O'Toole, who, says Nunberg, turns the play from a fairy tale into a farce.
Worries Over Illiteracy
Linguist Geoff Nunberg unpacks worries about different kinds of cultural and technical illiteracy--which he believes could more accurately be described as ignorance. Nunberg says we should be more concerned with the often overlooked problem of functional illiteracy.