Prof. Cynthia Gordon interviewed about her research on ‘familects’ in The Washington Post

Prof. Cynthia Gordon was interviewed by The Washington Post about her research on what she calls “familylects”, or the language used within families. You may have noticed the two spellings of this term. Prof. Gordon personally prefers the term “familylect” but doesn’t mind the alternative: “As a linguist,” she says, “I describe how people use language, rather than prescribe it.”

The article, titled “Every family has a secret language” from Sept. 3, 2025, describes the types of private language use within families that reflects and constructs each family’s social world. Prof. Gordon has studied family discourse for over 25 years, a research interest that began in graduate school at Georgetown. Read the article here.