Phillip M. Carter is a Professor of Linguistics and English at Florida International University in Miami, Florida (United States). Carter’s work investigates the linguistic effects of language contact situations between Spanish and English in the United States. Carter also works and teaches in the area of language and the law, focusing primarily on the language of intellectual property. In this area, he draws on the subbranches of linguistics, lexicography, semiotics, and corpus linguistics to analyze the language of trademarks. He holds a Ph.D. in English Linguistics from Duke University.
“To ‘86’ occasionally means to kill but usually doesn’t: A linguistic investigation into the Instagram threat charge against James Comey” (Carter, May 2026)
In this article, Professor Phillip M. Carter applies forensic linguistics to examine whether James Comey’s controversial “86 47” Instagram post constitutes a threat against President Donald Trump. Drawing on dictionary definitions, linguistic corpora, and user-generated dictionaries, Carter investigates how the expression “to 86” is used in contemporary American English and whether it typically conveys a meaning of killing or removing someone from a position. His analysis highlights how linguistic evidence can help distinguish between expressions of opinion and potential threats, demonstrating the important role of linguistics in interpreting language in legal contexts.
Long before shots were fired, a linguistic power struggle was playing out in Ukraine (Carter, March 2022)
In this article, Professor Phillip M. Carter explores the relationship between language, power, and national identity in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He examines the historical and political forces behind attempts to frame Ukrainian as a dialect of Russian rather than a distinct language, highlighting how language classifications can reflect broader power relations. Carter also discusses the status of Russian as a “power language,” the linguistic history of Ukrainian and Russian, and the role of language in shaping national identity and resistance. The article illustrates how language can become a powerful tool in political discourse and struggles over cultural identity.
Linguists Mentioned In the Episode:
Walt Wolfram - https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/mc00354
Tracy Weldon - https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/english_language_and_literature/our_people/directory/weldon_tracey.php