Anne Curzan
Anne Curzan is the Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of English and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan. She also holds faculty appointments in the Department of Linguistics and the School of Education.
As an expert in the history of the English language, Anne describes herself as a fount of random linguistic information about how English works and how it got to be that way. She received the University's Henry Russel Award for outstanding research and teaching in 2007, as well as the Faculty Recognition Award in 2009 and the 2012 John Dewey Award for undergraduate teaching.
Anne has published multiple books and dozens of articles on the history of the English language (from medieval to modern), language and gender, and pedagogy. Her newest book is Fixing English: Prescriptivism and Language History (2014). She has also created three audio/video courses for The Great Courses, including "The Secret Life of Words" and "English Grammar Boot Camp."
When she is not tracking down new slang or other changes in the language, Anne can be found running around Ann Arbor, swimming in pools both indoor and out, and now doing yoga (in hopes that she can keep running for a few more years to come).
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We get tons of great questions about language from our listeners. The problem is we only get to answer one or two per week. This week, we're doing...
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In writing, punctuation makes it easy to see when the writer is quoting someone else. What's interesting is that we've figured out a way to incorporate...
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Some of us can't resist muttering or shouting our language's strongest words in moments of anger, pain or shock. However, we also realize there are...
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It appears that as of today, there isn't much concern about the phrase "as of." Perhaps that's because it's such a simple phrase. Two words, two letters...
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Recently, English Professor Anne Curzan was giving a talk in Washington about reduplication. In reduplication, a form is repeated in a straightforward...
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Even when it comes to the most interesting conversations, there's usually a routine to how they start and how they end. Think of how your conversations...
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Among the many odd things about standard varieties of English is the “s” at the end of “knocks” as in “She knocks on the door.” If you were to change ...
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If your life is in shambles, you probably have bigger things to worry about than grammar. This week's topic comes from a listener who wanted to know the...
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A few weeks ago on Reddit, someone posted a clip from the Ellen Degeneres Show. The guest was Candice Payne, the Chicago woman who rented hotel rooms...
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On behalf of a listener, this week we're raising the question of whether we can speak on behalf of ourselves. Often at weddings, funerals and other...