Between You and I: A Linguist's Look at Language Peeves

Speaker Anne Curzan will discuss English words, how word usage changes over time, and why certain words are deemed unacceptable or “bad grammar.” She will discuss language peeves, those bits of language that grate on our nerves and make us want to pull out a red pen when reading or stop someone mid-sentence to correct them.

Anne Curzan is the Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of English, Linguistics, and Education at the University of Michigan, where she also served as the dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts from 2019 - 2024. Her most recent book is Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words (2024).

Anne is an expert on English usage and the history of the English language, including changes we’re seeing and hearing all around us. She describes herself as a fount of fun linguistic information about the English language, which she enjoys sharing online and on the radio. She is also an English professor and copy editor who has years of experience balancing careful writing and effective speaking with an openness to variation and change in language. Anne can be found talking about language on the weekly show “That's What They Say” on local NPR affiliate Michigan Public. Her TED talk “What makes a word ‘real’?” has more than 2 million views on the national TED talk site.

Anne is an award-winning scholar and teacher. She received an Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship and 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. She has published multiple books and dozens of articles, and she has created the audio/video courses “Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins” and “English Grammar Boot Camp” for Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses). She speaks to audiences across the country about how to use our words wisely and which language peeves are worth worrying about (including whether it’s okay to end a sentence with a preposition like that).