Jane Setter

If you’d like to hear my musings on RP and creaky voice, you’ll enjoy this podcast!
morejamtomorrow.com/episode/rp

It’s happening, always has, and always will.

If all goes to plan, I’ll be on Times Radio at 11:20pm GMT tonight (2 Nov) on the topic of “the increasing number of (British) children adopting American slang and accent as a result of the media they consume”.

Event: Conference Bilingualism in the Hispanic and Lusophone World.
Location: University of Reading, UK. Date: 12-14 January 2026. Early bird registration ending 2 November 2025!
bhlmultilingualism.wixsite.com/2026

Thrilled that The Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice, published barely a month ago, has won its first award: Curtin University's "Publication of the Year"! 🏆 (Co-editor Sender Dovchin works at Curtin.) 🎉 Get yours here 😉: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

I’m at that point in a writing project today when my brain seems to have suddenly turned to mush 🤪 (obviously not, or I wouldn’t be writing this). Having a cuppa often helps reset things. ☕️ And I’m getting some cat attention, which is always welcome! And maybe a little too distracting. 🐈‍⬛

Unboxing video! My copies of the Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice, co-edited with Sender Dovchin and Vijay Ramjattan, have finally arrived! Available at all good booksellers. 😊 global.oup.com/academic/pro...

YouTube video by University of Reading David Crystal in Conversation: Celebrating 60 Years of Linguistics at the University of Reading

Honoured to interview Prof David Crystal for the 60th Anniversary of Linguistics at Reading! View the entire conversation here.

youtu.be/j63j2OjVgmI?...

Out now! The Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice, co-edited with Sender Dovchin and Vijay Ramjattan, is available here and from all good booksellers: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Make that 08:25 UK time. Good job I checked!

Probably held up in the University’s mail room … I hope! 🤞

Listen out for me on Times Radio at about 08.35 UK time on Wednesday morning (24 September), when I'll be talking about Taylor Swift's voice (accent and pitch).

Mine have not yet arrived!! 😱

Some musings on International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
aworldofenglishes.blogspot.com/2016/09/inte...

A wonderful picture of tonight’s moon, emerging from the eclipse, taken by my partner John.

Giving voice a voice: Lisps, groovy whistles, and piercing sounds

😛 @janesetter.bsky.social looks at tongue piercings & lisps...

📖 Learn all about it in our Autumn issue, available at babelzine.co.uk

A picture of Professor Jane Setter in University of Reading PhD robes which are wine red with a cream lining. She is also wearing a black academic cap and a turquoise academic stole which shows membership of the Association of National Teaching Fellows. She is standing outside with a tree in the background.

Very proud to be University Orator at our degree ceremonies this year.

Thank you, Jane, for a great keynote lecture at TABU dag today! @tabudag.bsky.social @janesetter.bsky.social

Babel's Giving Voice a Voice: Good (indoor gardening) vibrations

🪴 What if your Bonsai just needs a good talking to?
📖 In Summer's Babel, @janesetter.bsky.social looks at the possible restorative effects of plant-voice

🏪 Buy issues & subscribe at babelzine.co.uk

Turns out the youth of today refers to fashion as “drip”. This seems to derive from describing people who wear a lot of items from top fashion houses as “dripping with it”.

Every day is a school day.

Owing to this morning’s sad news, this is not going ahead.

If all goes to plan, I’ll be on @bbc5live.bsky.social at around 10:30am tomorrow (21/04/2025) contributing to a discussion about names.

A milk chocolate bunny is attacked by a white chocolate face hugger which has emerged from a dark chocolate egg in a scene reminiscent of the science fiction film Alien.

Warm Easter wishes to all who celebrate it!

Birmingham accent ranked ‘most hated’ on BBC’s unofficial league table, Kate Adie reveals Journalist shares details of broadcaster’s dislike for Brummie accent as archives of her life and career to be catalogued

Another example of how the media - and a respected institution such as the BBC - perpetuates negative stereotypes about English accents.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

We’ve got a great line-up this year! See you there.

T-shirt showing the starship Enterprise in a Van Gogh style background with the legend “To Boldly Gogh”.

Things that don’t work in British English (sadly - I’d like one of these!).

Thank heavens for WD40 and my dad’s long nose pliers. Nuff said!

How You Pronounce This Letter May Reveal Your Age, Linguist Says I'll never hear it the same way again.

I’m quoted here - and it was a long time ago I talked to the Guardian! www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/zee-vs...
#English #pronunciation

The Beatles’ “Yesterday” is actually about regret over accent shaming? Wow. Just … wow.

www.theguardian.com/music/2024/f...

An image of a National Trust sign on a fence with the words “Please don’t lean on me. Thank you.”

Not like Bill Withers, then.