He talks about how people pronounce words differently, like “caramel” and “pajamas.” In one of my classes, I give an assignment based on Sounds Interesting in which students read some of Wells’ thoughts and then think about a word they have puzzled over.

The book that’s most easily accessible to people outside of the field of phonetics is Sounds Interesting by John Wells. What book is crucial to understanding your academic niche? As a linguist, I find his books interesting and fun to read because they’re full of linguistic concepts. Tolkien was a philologist, which is very similar to being a linguist, and he studied the historical aspects of language. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings frequently. What’s one of your all-time favorite reads? If anything, the thing that I learned the most is that regardless of our age, we should go and check out any and all books, whether written for kids or adults. When I had my son, I was reintroduced to the world of children’s literature and there are some really beautiful, interesting, and amazing children’s books. I had spent all these years only reading novels. I don’t think I’ve gone to the library and checked out a picture book since I was a child myself. Has reading with your son been enlightening for your literary taste?

The book deals with themes of good versus evil, censorship, and control. It’s a book about an evil witch, and as the story progresses, it turns the traditional fairy tale story on its head. Right now, we are reading The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. I have a nine-year-old son, so a lot of my reading right now is guided by books that we pick together and that interest us both. Professor Christina Esposito is chair of the Linguistics Department.

Now then after books