Languages teach us about what it means to be human by exposing patterns of difference and commonality.

Leora Bar-el is interested in linguistic properties of indigenous languages of North America and received a PhD in Linguistics from the University of British Columbia. During her dissertation, she developed a love of Salish languages and had the privilege of working with speakers of Skwxwú7mesh (aka Squamish). Recently, she has begun to examine varieties of English spoken in Montana. She is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Montana.

She In 2012 she was awarded the Helen and Winston Cox Educational Excellence Award. An avid weaver and city cyclist, she loves public radio, live theatre, and music of all sorts.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx