He excites students about a new view of language that challenge ideas that have dominated the field for the past 40 years. Bergen‘s approach to teaching infuses personal experiences, self-assessment, and humor. He attracts students from all disciplines including computer science, philosophy, English and psychology, which speaks to the accessibility of his style and extent of his knowledge. A colleague observed, "Bergen has shown his remarkable ability to break down traditional barriers between conversation and lecture, student and teacher, graduate and undergraduate."