The Vocal Fries

Named after the speech pattern that women get policed for constantly, The Vocal Fries tackles the intersection of linguistics and social justice with real scholarly chops. Hosts Carrie Gillon and Megan Figueroa are both linguists, and they use that expertise to expose how speech patterns become tools for discrimination based on race, class, gender, and regional identity. Think of it as applied linguistics with teeth. The show has 155 episodes, releases monthly, and carries a 4.4-star rating from 161 reviews. Episodes mix standalone deep dives with interviews featuring academics, speech pathologists, and other language researchers. They've covered topics like how African American English gets treated in courtrooms, why vocal fry triggers such strong reactions, and what language policing reveals about power dynamics. The conversation style is approachable -- they use humor and real-world examples rather than drowning you in academic jargon. But make no mistake, there's serious research behind what they discuss. If you've ever been told you talk wrong, or if you've noticed how people judge others by their accents and word choices, this podcast gives you the linguistic framework to understand why that happens. It fills a niche that basically no other language podcast covers with this level of rigor and accessibility combined.