Anne Curzan

Anne Curzan is the Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of English, Linguistics, and Education at the University of Michigan, where she also served as the dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts from 2019 to 2024. Her most recent book is Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words (2024).

Anne is an expert on English usage and the history of the English language, including the linguistic diversity and change we hear and see all around us. She is committed to advancing more linguistically informed English language curricula at all levels as part of educational justice and to helping the broader public be kinder and more inclusive in their approach to language. Anne can be found talking about language on the weekly show “That's What They Say” on local NPR affiliate Michigan Public. Her TED talk “What makes a word ‘real’?” has more than 2 million views on the national TED talk site.

Anne is an award-winning scholar and teacher. She received an Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship and the University's Henry Russel Award for outstanding research and teaching in 2007, as well as the Faculty Recognition Award in 2009 and the 2012 John Dewey Award for undergraduate teaching. She has published dozens of articles and multiple books, including Fixing English: Prescriptivism and the History of English (2014), Gender Shifts in the History of English (2003), First Day to Final Grade: A Graduate Student’s Guide to Teaching (3rd ed., 2011, with co-author Lisa Damour), and the textbook How English Works: A Linguistic Introduction (3rd ed., 2012, with co-author Michael Adams). Anne has created the audio/video courses “Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins” and “English Grammar Boot Camp” for Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses). and she speaks to audiences across the country about how to use our words wisely and which language peeves are worth worrying about (including whether it’s okay to end a sentence with a preposition like that).