alie ward ABOUT OLOGIES SHOWS MERCH BACK ABOUT PRESS CONTACT BACK EPISODES TOPICS SMOLOGIES TRANSCRIPTS & BLEEPED EPISODES SPONSORS OLOGIES GIVES BACK Phonology (LINGUISTICS) with Dr. Nicole Holliday FullSizeRender 23.jpg Vocal fry. Code switching. Black Twitter. Valley girls. Culture vultures. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TALKING. Alie battles traffic to sit down with linguistics professor Dr. Nicole Holliday about intonational phonology: how tones and pitch help us bond with others and construct identities. Inspired in part by former President Barack Obama's masterful linguistic variability, Dr. Holliday's work focuses on how language is used in the crossing and construction of racial/ethnic boundaries. She graciously fielded tons of questions for a fascinating dive into the nuances and strict grammatical rules of African American Language, cultural appropriation, our educational system, honoring your identity, what not to wear in Paris and the roiling debate over who is the best rapper.