Sponsored by the University of Michigan Al umni Association of Toledo
\nAnne Curzan will speak at the program\, followed by a question-and-answer session. This event is free\, and book sales and signing will occur after the program. \;
\nABO UT THE BOOK
\nSAYS WHO? A KINDER\, FUNNER USAGE GUIDE F OR EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT WORDS
\nLinguist and veteran Englis h professor Anne Curzan equips readers with the tools they need to adeptly manage (a split infinitive?! You betcha!) formal and informal writing and speaking. After all\, we don&rsquo\;t want to be caught wearing our lingu istic pajamas to a job interview any more than we want to show up for a ba ckyard barbecue in a verbal tux\, asking\, &ldquo\;To whom shall I pass th e ketchup?&rdquo\; Curzan helps us use our new knowledge about the develop ing nature of language and grammar rules to become caretakers of language rather than gatekeepers of it. Applying entertaining examples from literat ure\, newspapers\, television\, and more\, Curzan welcomes usage novices a nd encourages the language police to lower their pens\, showing us how we can care about language precision\, clarity\, and inclusion all at the sam e time.
\nABOUT THE AUTHOR
\nProfessor Anne C
urzan is Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of \;English\, \;L
inguistics\, and \;Education \;and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor
at the University of Michigan.
She also currently serves as the dean
of the College of Literature\, Science\, and the Arts. Her newest book\, &
ldquo\;Says Who? A Kinder\, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares Abou
t Words\,&rdquo\; released on March 26\, 2024.
Professor Curzan is an expert on the history of the English language\, and in addition to stu dying how the language itself has changed over the past 1500 years\, she e xplores how attitudes about words and grammar have shifted. She describes herself as a fount of random linguistic information about the English lang uage\, which she enjoys sharing online and on the radio. Professor Curzan can be found talking about language on the weekly show &ldquo\;That&rsquo\ ;s What They Say&rdquo\; on local NPR station Michigan Radio\; she also wr ote biweekly (in the every two weeks sense!) for six years for the blog Li ngua Franca on the Chronicle of Higher Education&rsquo\;s website. Her TED talk &ldquo\;What makes a word &lsquo\;real&rsquo\;?&rdquo\; has more tha n 2.1 million views on the national TED talk site.
\nSensory Considerations: \;This program will use dim artificial light ing. Microphones will be used.
\nAccessibility Details: \;Located in the Auditorium\, accessed by a ramp. All doors will be propped before the program starts. Low pile carpet throughout the build ing. Limited free parking is available.
\nhttps://toledo.libnet.info/ev ent/11720201 URL;VALUE=URI:https://toledo.libnet.info/event/11720201 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/toledo/author_photo_book_c lubs_4_.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR