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Linguistics professor Valerie Fridland is interviewed by Guy Kawasaki. Valerie is an expert in language and its role in professional life and leadership. She discusses various linguistic topics, including the evolution of language, the use of filler words like um and uh, and courtroom strategies. Valerie explains that the omission of the -ly adverbial ending in phrases like "think different" is a common trend in English, especially among younger speakers. She also discusses her role as a theoretical linguist and how linguists study language change over time.
Valerie shares her experience with copy editors and proofreaders during the writing process of her book, where she had to defend her choices to represent colloquial speech. She explains that not all language changes appear in style guides, but the use of singular they has been accepted by the MLA and Chicago Manual of Style. Valerie confirms that it is now acceptable to use singular they in articles and books.
Guy expresses surprise at this change and discusses his editing process for his podcast, where he removes filler words. Valerie explains the value of filler words in signaling important thoughts and pauses. They also discuss their experiences with ChatGPT, an AI language model, and the importance of fact-checking information.
In the closing remarks, Guy compliments Valerie on her expertise and invites listeners to share their opinions on the use of filler words in podcasts. The episode concludes with Guy expressing gratitude to the Remarkable People team and mentioning the possibility of incorporating Hawaiian Pidgin English into future episodes.
Linguistics professor Valerie Fridland is interviewed by Guy Kawasaki. Valerie is an expert in langu