Lexicon Valley

I've Been Hornswoggled!

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:15:00 -0000

Listener Steven wrote: "I’ve been hornswoggled! So, what exactly has happened to me and when did people start getting hornswoggled? Is it painful?" We have answers.

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 296: "I've Been Hornswoggled!" With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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Loose as a Goose

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:31:00 -0000

Is there anything particularly loose about a goose — or does that idiom exist only because it rhymes? Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo investigate.

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 295: "Loose as a Goose." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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The Sound of a Car Backshifting

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:46:00 -0000

John McWhorter on language change — from the meaning of wit to the pronunciation of automobile. Plus, a defense of redundancy!

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How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:18:00 -0000

⁠⁠Getting new words into the dictionary is a rigorous, time consuming process — with no guarantee of success.

Visit Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 293: "How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?" With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary.

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:09:00 -0000

"Unabridged" author Stefan Fatsis on the fastidious practice of lexicography and the heiress who amassed the largest collection of dictionaries in history.

⁠⁠Visit Lexicon Valley⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 292: "Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary." With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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Open Season for Racists

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 23:14:00 -0000

Like 'analog watch' and 'snail mail,' 'openly racist' is a retronym — John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo explain.

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Playing the Angles

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:48:00 -0000

What does St. John the Apostle have in common with Bernie Bernbaum, the sniveling grifter from Miller's Crossing? Angling!

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 290: "Playing the Angles." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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You Get the Gist

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:05:00 -0000

During an appearance on The Gist with Mike Pesca, we discussed the curious backstory of, you guessed it, the word "gist."

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 289: "You Get the Gist." With Bob Garfield, Mike Pesca, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. Special thanks to Michelle Hunter Pesca. All rights reserved.

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Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:34:00 -0000

A prolific writer on men's fashion, Guy discusses the vocabulary of outerwear and why dress is a form of social language.

⁠Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 288: "Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing." With Derek Guy and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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McWhorter vs. McWhorter

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:57:00 -0000

The world was shocked by a controversial article published by "John McWhorter." Here, he sets the record straight.

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A Toast to Toast

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:13:00 -0000

Raise a glass to browned bread ... now you're toast!

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All the Rage Bait

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:40:00 -0000

Oxford English Dictionary editor Fiona McPherson talks to Mike Vuolo about the terms that caught her attention in 2025.

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The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 22:30:00 -0000

Author John Koenig talks about inventing words for those subtle emotions that hitherto had no name.

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 284: "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows." With Bob Garfield, John Koenig, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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6 7: Everything You Don't Know About the Word of the Year

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:48:00 -0000

Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield join Mike Pesca of The Gist to talk about the long, strange journey of 6 7, from rapper Skrilla to the basketball court, from the classroom to the Word of the Year.

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 283: "6 7: Everything You Don't Know About the Word of the Year." With Bob Garfield, Mike Pesca, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. Special thanks to Michelle Hunter Pesca. All rights reserved.

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Gobbledygook Explained

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 21:07:00 -0000

Gobbledygook sounds like one of those words that somebody just made up — so is it?

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 282: "Gobbledygook Explained." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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Gen Alpha Thinks You're Cringe

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:44:00 -0000

Our parents were cringe-inducing but we're just cringe.

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 281: "Gen Alpha Thinks You're Cringe." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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The Amazing Great

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 21:03:00 -0000

Good is no longer good enough. Everyone is awesome, superlative or just great.

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It's Been a Minute

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 20:07:00 -0000

Returning as the primary hosts of Lexicon Valley, Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield speak to John McWhorter about understatement and hyperbole in Black English.

Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 279: "It's Been a Minute." With Bob Garfield, John McWhorter, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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Ask Not?

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Richard Tofel, author of Sound the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, reveals the startling authorship behind JFK’s most famous words.

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The American Accent Came First

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:06:00 -0000

What did English sound like during the Revolutionary War? John has a number of fascinating observations about the way the language was spoken back then — including the accents!

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Oversleeping at the Sleepover

Tue, 20 May 2025 21:00:00 -0000

'Over' isn’t just the opposite of 'under' and 'off' is not necessarily the opposite of 'on.'

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The Story of Us

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:32:00 -0000

John talks about the subject of his new book from Avery Publishing — ⁠Pronoun Trouble⁠: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words.

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Fire, Die, Rim

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 21:45:00 -0000

The Thai words for fire, die and rim sound an awful lot like the English words fire, die and rim. How could that be?

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Hither and Yon

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:24:00 -0000

Words like thence and thither are all but obsolete in English, but they were actually quite useful!The Thai words for fire, die and rim sound an awful lot like the English words 'fire,' 'die' and 'rim.' How could that be?

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Down the Rabbit Hole

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:57:00 -0000

Do you know the difference between a rabbit and a hare? And what then is a bunny? Follow John through the etymological warrens of these furry creatures.

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Giving You the Business

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 13:22:00 -0000

It may seem apparent how we got from busyness to business, but the origins of the word “busy” itself are shrouded in mystery.

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When Is Code-Switching Inappropriate?

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 20:50:00 -0000

As a daily listener to WNYC Public Radio in New York City, John has noticed that a certain announcer frequently mispronounces words on air. He has thoughts.

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The World's Largest Family

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 13:11:00 -0000

Working backwards from existing languages, linguists have had great success reconstructing Proto-Indo-European. Does that mean we can do the same for all language families?

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English Is Practically Naked

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 19:31:00 -0000

A cyclone came through and blew off most of English’s clothes, says John, in Part II of his discussion of Indo-European.

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Family Ties

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 18:30:00 -0000

There are at least five defining features among hundreds of related languages from English to Hindi to Russian. And what does any of that have to do with the Hittites?

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Going Deep

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:54:00 -0000

The simple verb 'to go' quickly gets complex in just about any language and English is no exception.

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Come Under Scrutiny

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:21:00 -0000

What does the '-bat' in 'acrobat' have to do with the word 'come'?

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Have Your Own Damn Self a Merry Little Christmas

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 20:44:00 -0000

Reflexive pronouns are redundant in a way, sure, but they’re also quite common in many languages.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 265: "Have Your Own Damn Self a Merry Little Christmas." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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When Did People Start Talking?

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:48:00 -0000

There’s good reason to believe that sophisticated speech began long before homo sapiens hit the scene.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 264: "When Did People Start Talking?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Who's Afraid of Ayesha Rascoe?

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 17:39:00 -0000

Does Ayesha Rascoe have a good radio voice? Not according to many NPR listeners, who find her "loud," "high-pitched" and generally "grating."

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 263: "Who's Afraid of Ayesha Rascoe?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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What Is Miami English?

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 18:43:00 -0000

A recent study suggests that a new dialect is emerging in the southern part of Florida.

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Report of the Trial of Levi Weeks

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 21:03:00 -0000

The trial transcript of a 225-year-old murder is filled with fascinating evidence of the way we used to talk.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 262: "Report of the Trial of Levi Weeks." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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I Got My Nails Did!

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 13:55:00 -0000

Many English verbs have three forms — sing, sang and sung, for example. The problem is that speakers seem to want only two.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 260: "I Got My Nails Did!" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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To v. Too

Tue, 09 May 2023 18:53:00 -0000

'Too' — whether about excess, addition or contradiction — evolved from 'to.'

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Picture of Health

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 14:16:00 -0000

Some languages adopt their “health” word from the concept of wholeness — a metaphor that makes perfect sense. Other languages, however, adopt their “health” word from trees.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 258: "Picture of Health." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Right Stuff

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 12:21:00 -0000

Like the French word 'droit,' English’s 'right' has taken on a number of useful metaphorical meanings.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 257: "The Right Stuff." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Age, Color, Origin, Material

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 19:03:00 -0000

In this favorite from the archives, John discusses some unwritten rules of English that can be remarkably difficult for a learner of English to master.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 95: "Age, Color, Origin, Material." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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One for the Record Books

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 19:03:00 -0000

The word “record” can be broken down into two parts, the '-re' and the '-cord.' But what do those parts even mean?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 256: "One for the Record Books." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 19:00:00 -0000

An encore presentation of a much loved episode about the speech patterns of Bette Davis, George Gershwin, Louis Armstrong and countless other Americans of the 1930s. Why do they all sound like that?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 96: "Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Past Master

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:24:00 -0000

So many of our words have ugly associations that are particular to a historical time or event. Should we expunge them entirely from our vocabulary? Can we?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 255: "Past Master." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Are You Tryna Hear This?

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 14:10:00 -0000

Words that come to mean “want” often start out meaning something else. Take “want,” for example.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 254: "Are You Tryna Hear This?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Ambassadors

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 14:07:00 -0000

Henry James wrote his final novels just over a century ago — and yet somehow they are far less accessible than works written much earlier.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 253: "The Ambassadors." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Apostrophe S

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 15:22:00 -0000

Possession is more or less about ownership, and we denote that in English by adding ’s to the end of a word. But of course there’s far more to the story than just that.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 252: "Apostrophe S." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Is "Knocked Up" Racist?

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 19:16:00 -0000

There’s a rumor going around social networks that “knocked up” traces back to American slave trading. Is there any evidence for that etymology?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 251: "Is 'Knocked Up' Racist?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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What a Young Brain Can Do

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 22:00:00 -0000

It’s tempting to imagine that a sentence will translate rather neatly, word by word, from one language to another. It’s also naive.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 250: "What a Young Brain Can Do." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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What Do You Talk?

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 13:30:00 -0000

The book and lyrics of 'The Music Man' are replete with everyday, ordinary dialogue that, nevertheless, demonstrates how English often works.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 249: "What Do You Talk?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Problem with You

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:47:00 -0000

English used to have a more or less typical array of second person pronouns, with thou and thee for the singular — subject and object cases, respectively — and ye and you for the plural. So what happened?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 248: "The Problem with You." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Rodney Dangerfield Pronoun

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:31:00 -0000

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield was fond of introducing jokes with a kind of redundancy, for example: “My wife, she told me I was one in a million. I found out she was right.” But those seemingly superfluous pronouns are filled with promise.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 247: "The Rodney Dangerfield Pronoun." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Is Negro a Slur or Just Antiquated?

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 16:20:00 -0000

The racial reckoning of the past several years has altered the way we think about and use language, often for better but occasionally for worse. Sometimes, what we tend to believe is at odds with what is most likely true.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 246: "Is Negro a Slur or Just Antiquated?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Throw Up, Turn Out & Believe

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 19:14:00 -0000

Words like chit-chat, pitter-patter and wishy-washy are formed that way for a reason beyond the pleasing way that they sound. The vowel change actually signifies something more meaningful to our human way of thinking.

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Why Fidget Poppers Are "Satisfying"

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 18:09:00 -0000

What does the proliferation of so-called ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos say about the nuanced use of the word "satisfying"?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. 243: "Why Fidget Poppers Are 'Satisfying.'" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Why Do We Dot Our i's?

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 19:38:00 -0000

As a guest on The Late Show, John told Stephen Colbert that there was nothing especially interesting to say about the word "I." Well, he takes that back — there is, it turns out, much to say.

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You Are SO Articulate. Really.

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 21:51:00 -0000

Do you remember learning — in grade school most likely — the difference between a count noun and a mass noun? Probably not, and yet chances are that you use them correctly. That’s because you’ve mastered your native language.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. 241: "You Are SO Articulate. Really." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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When Words Collide

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 16:44:00 -0000

We are frequently asked — often by young listeners who are fascinated by language — how English could possibly accumulate the many thousands of words that make up its vast vocabulary. It’s a topic that’s just too fun not to revisit now and again.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 154: "When Words Collide." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Haphazard History of C

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 18:47:00 -0000

The letters C and K can both represent what we might call a Hard C — as in Cosmo Kramer or Calvin Klein. Not to mention Q, which usually indicates that same sound. Why does the English alphabet have this confusing redundancy?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 240: "The Haphazard History of C." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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JFK's Most Famous Sentence

Wed, 25 May 2022 01:39:00 -0000

On Jan. 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered — to an audience seated both outside at the U.S. Capitol and at home in front of their televisions — his inaugural address. Millions were stirred that afternoon by the rousing line: And so, my fellow Americans — ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. Every part of that exhortation is a fascinating linguistic lesson.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 239: "JFK's Most Famous Sentence." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Evolution of Woke

Tue, 10 May 2022 15:40:00 -0000

What does it mean to be woke? Has the word problematic become problematic? John McWhorter talks with Banished host Amna Khalid about the fraught vocabulary of modern censorship.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 238: "The Evolution of Woke." With Amna Khalid and John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Let Sleeping Dogs Lay

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 20:09:00 -0000

Did you know that the past participle of the intransitive verb lie is lain and that its past tense is lay, not to be confused with the present tense of the transitive verb lay? Oh, and did you know that no one really cares if you use them all correctly?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 236: "Let Sleeping Dogs Lay." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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How Did Nigeria Get Its Name?

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 21:16:00 -0000

You might guess that Nigeria and Niger derive their names from the Latin word for “black,” especially since both countries were formerly colonized by Europeans. Guess again. John explains.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Bonus: "How Did Nigeria Get Its Name?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

Bonus segments are normally for paying subscribers only, but we’re making this week’s free for all! To support our work, please consider becoming paying subscriber.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Bonus: "How Did Nigeria Get Its Name?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Where Is the Name Ketanji From?

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 16:07:00 -0000

President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee has said that her parents picked “Ketanji” from a list of West African names supplied by a relative. But West Africans speak hundreds of languages spread out across many hundreds of miles. Can we get more specific?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 235: "Where Is the Name Ketanji From?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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A Linguistic Love Letter to Ukraine

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 21:56:00 -0000

As John likes to say, Proto-Indo-European — the original ancestor of many European and Asian languages — began on the steppes of Ukraine. This is his linguistic love letter to a region and a people under siege.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 234: "A Linguistic Love Letter to Ukraine." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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How About This Weather?

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 18:35:00 -0000

To describe inclement weather in English, we might say that “it” is raining, which seems natural to a native speaker. But does “it” refer to the sky, the outdoors, the god of precipitation? Maybe it’s not so natural after all.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 233: "How About This Weather?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Joe Rogan and the N-Word, by Way of Kyiv

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 19:40:00 -0000

You may have noticed, among widespread coverage of looming Russian aggression, an unfamiliar pronunciation of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. What does that have to do with Joe Rogan’s use of the N-word? Listen to find out.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 232: "Joe Rogan and the N-Word, by Way of Kyiv." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Son of a B*tch on a Hot Mic

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 22:40:00 -0000

A hot mic caught President Biden using the epithet to describe a Fox News reporter. Where did “son of a bitch” come from, and why are modern speakers increasingly choosing other insults?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 231: "Son of a B*tch on a Hot Mic." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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RIP: Sidney Poitier, Lani Guinier, Max Julien

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 17:53:00 -0000

Actors Sidney Poitier and Max Julien and law professor Lani Guinier — all of whom died this month — have last names that reveal fascinating stories about pronunciation, etymology and language change.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 230: "RIP: Sidney Poitier, Lani Guinier, Max Julien." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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300 Years of Language Peevery

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 03:03:00 -0000

Self-styled language experts have lamented the decline of English for centuries. From shifting pronunciations to newfangled words to evolving grammar, everyone from Jonathan Swift to John McWhorter has a pet peeve or two.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 229: "300 Years of Language Peevery." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Four Calling Birds? Not Exactly.

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 18:16:00 -0000

Happy New Year! In the generous spirit of the holidays, we’re making this week’s bonus segment free to all. But there’s more: Until the end of the year, you can get 30% off a subscription to Booksmart Studios. You’ll get extra written content and access to bonus segments like this one. More importantly, you’ll be championing all the work we do here. Become a member of Booksmart Studios today.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a slog. It's repetitive, replete with archaic imagery and long — and so one can be forgiven for getting a bit sloppy with the lyrics. That's what happened with the phrase “colly birds,” which eventually mutated to “calling birds.” Wait, what's a colly bird? John explains.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Bonus: "Four Calling Birds? Not Exactly." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Why Does the Letter A Look That Way?

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 13:15:00 -0000

An alphabet, one of humanity’s greatest innovations, is far from intuitive. Our own English lettering was borrowed from the Romans, of course, but where did they get it from? And where did the concept originate?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 228: "Why Does the Letter A Look That Way?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Happy Days Are Here

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 23:23:00 -0000

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss what it means to be happy, both lexicographically and philosophically.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 227: "Happy Days Are Here." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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In Language, Context Is King

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 13:00:00 -0000

The late philosopher Paul Grice formulated four brief maxims by which conversations are generally governed. Most humans find it relatively easy to observe them. Machines, on the other hand, not as much.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Bonus: "In Language, Context Is King." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

Normally, Lexicon Valley's bonus segments are behind the subscriber paywall, but we’re making this week’s bonus free for everyone. With more content now than ever before, we hope that you’ll become a Booksmart Studios supporter. Happy Thanksgiving!

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That's Not What Irony Means, Alanis

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 18:20:00 -0000

Language doesn't often do what you think it should. It’s as messy as almost anything that’s created by natural selection, but that’s what makes it so fun.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 226: "That's Not What Irony Means, Alanis." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Can You Play “Jew” in Scrabble?

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 14:23:00 -0000

Scrabble and other similar games have been the subject of an ongoing lexicographic debate in recent years, with some arguing that ethnic slurs have no place in the official dictionary or on the board. Many tournament players, however, decry the banning of words — the game, they say, is merely descriptivist.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 225: "Can You Play 'Jew' in Scrabble?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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A*#holes and B%tches

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 14:30:00 -0000

Dividing up nouns as “masculine” and “feminine” has not been a part of English for many centuries. And yet our language remains peppered throughout with gender, often overtly in terms like Mrs. and Mr. Sometimes, however, it’s more subtle.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 224: "A*#holes and B%tches." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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On the Singular They and Slippery Slopes

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 20:40:00 -0000

English has been calling out for a gender-neutral pronoun for more than a century, with many failed attempts at invented words and portmanteaus. Singular "they" — once the scourge of schoolhouse grammarians — has now emerged to become the pronoun of choice for many outside the so-called gender binary.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 223: "On the Singular They and Slippery Slopes." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Pandemic's Effect on Language

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:47:00 -0000

Turns out that some languages are less intelligible through a mask than others, and, believe it or not, it all depends on how often you use certain consonants. It’s called the McGurk effect and it’s the closest that linguistics comes to actual magic.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 222: "The Pandemic's Effect on Language." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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What Do They Speak in Afghanistan?

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 15:54:00 -0000

Dari and Pashto are the two major official languages of Afghanistan. One, says John McWhorter, is “disarmingly approachable” while the other is “deliciously intimidating.”

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 221: "What Do They Speak in Afghanistan?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Morphing of Critical Race Theory

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 15:44:00 -0000

What did CRT originally mean, and what does it mean now? What are children actually being taught? And why do some terms tend to become so thorny over time?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 220: "The Morphing of Critical Race Theory." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Mare of Easttown and the Philly Accent

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 15:06:00 -0000

In the 7-part crime drama, Mare of Easttown, Kate Winslet plays a flannel-clad cop with a thirst for Rolling Rock, an appetite for hoagies and a tendency to pronounce water more like wooder. John McWhorter discusses his hometown’s enigmatic accent and Winslet’s courageous attempt at imitating those impossibly difficult vowels.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 219: "Mare of Easttown and the Philly Accent." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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English Has a Bee in Its Bonnet

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 01:51:00 -0000

Not all languages lend themselves to spelling competitions. Plus: A special subscriber-only bonus segment — get them all by becoming a paying subscriber to Lexicon Valley.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 218: "English Has a Bee in Its Bonnet." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Russian Is My Mt. Everest

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 04:00:00 -0000

How the novel Anna Karenina sparked a quest to learn Tolstoy's native tongue.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 217: "Russian Is My Mt. Everest." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Languages of Northern Africa

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 04:00:00 -0000

Berber, Somali and other fascinating languages of the region.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 216: "Languages of Northern Africa." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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You’re Gonna Hafta

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 04:00:00 -0000

Linguistic inspiration from a television series about the Royal Family.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 215: "You’re Gonna Hafta." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Languages of Southeast Asia

Tue, 25 May 2021 04:00:00 -0000

Are Vietnamese, Thai and others of that region a lot like Mandarin?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 214: "The Languages of Southeast Asia." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Irregardless Make You Cringe?

Tue, 11 May 2021 04:00:00 -0000

Some other words that perhaps should bother you but probably don't.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 213: "Irregardless Make You Cringe?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Nine Nasty Words

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 04:00:00 -0000

English in the gutter: then, now and forever.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 212: "Nine Nasty Words." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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The Invisible Complexities of Translation

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 04:00:00 -0000

Examining the nuances of translation through the single word "self."

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 247: "The Invisible Complexities of Translation." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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English Is Plain Weird

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 04:00:00 -0000

There's nothing run-of-the-mill about this language called English.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 210: "English Is Plain Weird." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Subject-Verb-Object, Right?

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 04:00:00 -0000

Our way of putting together sentences is far from universal.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 209: "Subject-Verb-Object, Right?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Parting Company

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 05:00:00 -0000

How did a word that literally means with bread come to sprout it corporate connotations?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 208: "Parting Company." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Wallowing in Negativity

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0000

When a simple no will not suffice.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 207: "Wallowing in Negativity." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Fossil Hunting in English

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0000

Knowing where to dig is the key to uncovering our linguistic past.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 206: "Fossil Hunting in English." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Why Do Languages Have Gender?

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0000

Why do so many languages divvy up nouns into seemingly arbitrary categories?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 205: "Why Do Languages Have Gender?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Forgetting Your Roots

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0000

When the apple falls far from the tree.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 204: "Forgetting Your Roots." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Future English Speaker, Can You Read Me?

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 05:00:00 -0000

At what point will the language we speak now be incomprehensible to our progeny?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 203: "Future English Speaker, Can You Read Me?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Getting Got

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 05:00:00 -0000

The many subtle nuances of one of our most common verbs.

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On the Origin of English

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 05:00:00 -0000

A fringe theory about English for which the evidence is intriguing.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 201: "On the Origin of English." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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White Author, Black English. Problem?

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 05:00:00 -0000

Is it appropriation for a white novelist to render Black speech?

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Do Cats Have Language?

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 04:00:00 -0000

The way that animals communicate is fascinating, yes, but a far cry from human speech.

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Sergeant, Corporal, Colonel

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 04:00:00 -0000

The peculiar language of our military ranks.

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To Reason Why

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 04:00:00 -0000

How come? What for? The many ways to ask why.

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When Talking to Your Mother-in-Law Is a Minefield

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 04:00:00 -0000

On codeswitching among family members and relations.

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The Incredible Story of the Traveling Creole

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 04:00:00 -0000

A creole language that boomeranged between two continents.

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This Am a Minstrel Stereotype, Right?

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 04:00:00 -0000

On Black English and the verb to be.

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When Jews Adapted Spanish

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 04:00:00 -0000

Linguistic inspiration from historian Alan Mikhail’s new book God’s Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World.

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Defund Karen

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 04:00:00 -0000

Social justice movements yield a trove of new catchphrases and words.

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Beyond the Five Ws

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 04:00:00 -0000

Inquiring around the world.

X: @lexiconvalley
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Coronavirus: Isolation and Aspiration

Tue, 26 May 2020 04:00:00 -0000

Are certain consonants to blame for spreading germs?

X: @lexiconvalley
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Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley

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Our Indigenous Languages

Wed, 20 May 2020 04:00:00 -0000

The wonderfully complex Native American tongues.

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I Just Can't!

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 04:00:00 -0000

Yes, linguists have language peeves too.

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The Many Meanings of Too

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 04:00:00 -0000

The word too is far more versatile than you think.

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Sicko, Whacko, Weirdo

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 04:00:00 -0000

What's with that long o sound we stick on the ends of words like neato and, yes, fatso?

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A Myth Surrounding Mandarin

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 04:00:00 -0000

Chinese has no grammar, right? Wrong!

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From Uptalk to Vocal Fry

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 05:00:00 -0000

Women are the most prolific language innovators.

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In What Order Did Languages Arrive in Europe?

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0000

Cutting edge research gives linguists new insight.

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Verbs on the Move

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0000

Like the boy said in that song: you come and go, you come and go. We all do.

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Does Processes Rhyme With Knees?

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0000

Is our pretentiousness causing us to pronounce words wrong?

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A Bisl Yiddish

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 05:00:00 -0000

Yiddish is the gefilte fish of Germanic languages.

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Private Parts

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 05:00:00 -0000

How did cock come to mean a male chicken and a penis?

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The Soft Power of Like

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 05:00:00 -0000

Words and phrases that are often dismissed as filler are actually conveying politeness.

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Men, Women and Children

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:00:00 -0000

The weird plurals of sentient beings.

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Zombie English

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0000

Dead parts of our language have a way of sticking around.

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Let's Do Lunch

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0000

Come table-hopping as we discuss the linguistic quirks of mealtime terms.

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How to Think Like a Linguist

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0000

The alphabet doesn't quite capture the many sounds we make.

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Has English Gotten Less Complex?

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 04:00:00 -0000

English pronouns in particular have simplified over time.

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S#!t, Hell, and Darn

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 04:00:00 -0000

Dissecting three common curse words.

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This Family Speaks 1,200 Languages

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 04:00:00 -0000

From Javanese to Tagalog, the wonderful Austronesian languages.

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Language vs. Dialect

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 04:00:00 -0000

A language is a dialect with an army, to paraphrase a renowned linguist.

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The Internet Loves the Exclamation Point!!

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 04:00:00 -0000

On some of the deep forces that shape human language.

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Does Language Affect Thought?

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 04:00:00 -0000

Another look at the so-called Whorf Hypothesis, the idea that the language you speak affects your perception of the world.

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A Fleeting Glance

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 04:00:00 -0000

Reflections on transience.

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The Romance Languages

Tue, 28 May 2019 04:00:00 -0000

On French, Spanish, Italian, etc. — otherwise known as the Romances.

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Why Do Some Americans Say Warshed?

Tue, 14 May 2019 04:00:00 -0000

Why do people often pronounce an R sound where it doesn't belong?

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Flores Man vs. Sulawesi

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 04:00:00 -0000

A linguistic mystery on an island archipeligo of Indonesia.

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The Lingua Francas

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 04:00:00 -0000

You could speak fluently with half the world's population if you knew these 20 or so languages.

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Can Climate Influence Language?

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 04:00:00 -0000

As many as half the world's languages are tonal, but a tiny fraction are spoken in arid climates.

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When Ain’t Was All Right

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 04:00:00 -0000

On the the first person singular of to be.

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The Semitic Tongues

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 05:00:00 -0000

On the triconsonantal roots of Semitic languages.

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Precious Little

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 05:00:00 -0000

Johnny loves his blankie — why do we tack a long e sound onto words to form diminutives?

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When Words Collide

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 05:00:00 -0000

On the creation of new English vocabulary.

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Truth Be Told

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 05:00:00 -0000

An actually very literal discussion of true words. Really!

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A Penetrating History of F*%k

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 05:00:00 -0000

On our longtime obsession with the F-word.

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When Did English Get Happy?

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 05:00:00 -0000

Where does happiness come from?

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Why Language Can’t Be Tamed

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 05:00:00 -0000

A conversation with Lane Greene, author of Talk on the Wild Side.

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Is Social Media Changing English?

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 05:00:00 -0000

Many think that online culture is eroding our language skills. Is it true?

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What Was the First Language?

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 05:00:00 -0000

Can we know anything about languages spoken at the dawn of human speech?

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So … Let’s Talk About So

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 04:00:00 -0000

Leading with so is often shorthand for I'm about to do some explaining.

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Like-Minded

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 04:00:00 -0000

There's lots to like about like.

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Why Do Southerners Talk Like That?

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 04:00:00 -0000

A Southern accent is easier to explain than to emulate.

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The Habitual Past

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 04:00:00 -0000

You regularly did something but don't any longer. In other words, you used to do it — what an odd expression.

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A Riot of Color

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 04:00:00 -0000

Languages tend to get their color words in a certain order.

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The Rise of They

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 04:00:00 -0000

The singular they is here to stay and that's a good thing.

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Wabbit Twacks

Mon, 06 Aug 2018 04:00:00 -0000

Learning about language from Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.

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Tee Time

Tue, 24 Jul 2018 04:00:00 -0000

It's yabba dabba doo time to talk about the letter T.

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Happy Birthday, OED!

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 04:00:00 -0000

The first full edition of the OED was published in 1928.

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If Frozen, Why Not Squozen?

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 04:00:00 -0000

Lessons from this year’s Tony nominees for Best Musical.

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The Pronouning of Profanities

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 04:00:00 -0000

How curse words became ordinary parts of speech.

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One Tongue to Rule Them All

Tue, 29 May 2018 04:00:00 -0000

Many have dreamt of a single common language, but it remains a dream.

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The Art of the Spiel

Tue, 15 May 2018 04:00:00 -0000

Rhetoric from the Gilded Age to the Era of Trump.

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Getting to Yes

Tue, 01 May 2018 04:00:00 -0000

Mm-hmm, yep, yeah.

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The Story of P

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 04:00:00 -0000

What queues up after elemeno?

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English Spelling is a Beautiful Mess

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 04:00:00 -0000

English is chock-full of letters that are not pronounced, which makes spelling a nightmare.

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Did the Founding Fathers Have a British Accent?

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 04:00:00 -0000

On the way early Americans may have spoken.

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No-Uh!

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 05:00:00 -0000

What's that extra sound we sometimes say at the end of words?

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The Inner Workings of Out

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 05:00:00 -0000

There's far more going on with out than you think.

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What's the Deal with Eleven?

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 05:00:00 -0000

From one to twenty — you can count on it!

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There Are Two N-Words

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 05:00:00 -0000

One of English's worst epithets has split in two.

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The Thing Is Is

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 05:00:00 -0000

Doubling up on the verb is, an explanation.

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An Accidental Sanctity

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 05:00:00 -0000

Biblical scholar Mark Ward discusses his forthcoming book, Authorized.

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Thanksgiving Misnomers

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 05:00:00 -0000

A holiday feast!

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Sometimes Just Because

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 05:00:00 -0000

Much of language is merely a roll of the dice.

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Against Strunk and White

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 04:00:00 -0000

It’s time to permanently shelve The Elements of Style.

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Whence Baby Mama?

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 04:00:00 -0000

Opening the listener mailbox.

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Este No Es Parqueo

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 04:00:00 -0000

A brief ode to Spanish.

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From Pidgins to Creoles

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 04:00:00 -0000

On the birth of a new language.

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Do Languages Simplify Over Time?

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 04:00:00 -0000

Old English was more complicated in many ways than the English we speak today.

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Did Cavebabies Say Mama and Papa?

Tue, 22 Aug 2017 04:00:00 -0000

Cultures across the world have similar words for mom and dad. How is that possible?

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New Life for Dying Languages

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with Wil Meya of The Language Conservancy.

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Negatory! A Brief History of No.

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 04:00:00 -0000

On the history and evolution of no and not.

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Why Do Languages Have Contractions?

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 04:00:00 -0000

The economy and informality of contracting speech.

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The Incredible Lightness of Being

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 04:00:00 -0000

On the enduring unusualness of the verb to be.

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Is There a Jewish Way of Talking?

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 04:00:00 -0000

A high-involvement conversation with the hosts of the Unorthodox podcast.

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Mining Graffiti for Slang

Tue, 30 May 2017 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Don't Tell Me Reune Is Not a Word

Tue, 16 May 2017 04:00:00 -0000

On the near-futile impulse to determine what is, and what is not, a word.

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The Language of Female Friendships

Tue, 02 May 2017 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with linguist Deborah Tannen.

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The Euphemism Treadmill

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 04:00:00 -0000

Why euphemisms tend not to stick around very long.

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Heyo, Let's Talk About Hamilton

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with linguist Neal Whitman.

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How Did Americans Talk a Hundred Years Ago?

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 04:00:00 -0000

John McWhorter time travels to 1930 to eavesdrop on American English.

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Like, Why Do We Use Like So Much?

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 05:00:00 -0000

A conversation with sociolinguist Alexandra D’Arcy

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What Had Happened Was Storytelling

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 05:00:00 -0000

John McWhorter discusses his new book, Talking Back, Talking Black.

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Why We Stopped Teaching Children How to Read

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 05:00:00 -0000

A conversation with Mark Seidenberg, author of Language at the Speed of Sight.

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Away in a Penthouse, the Little Lord Jesus

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 05:00:00 -0000

When hath gave way to has, plus the original meaning of merry.

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What "The Wizard of Oz" Can Tell Us About "Arrival"

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 05:00:00 -0000

In Arrival, Amy Adams plays a linguist who discovers that language can radically alter a person’s sense of reality. Can it actually?

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Black Like Us

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 05:00:00 -0000

Are the slang, sounds and syntax of Black English a kind of universal patois for America’s youth?

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Language Lessons of Past Presidents

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 05:00:00 -0000

Some unwitting English instruction from previous U.S. presidents.

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How You Vanquished Ye, Thee and Thou

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 04:00:00 -0000

How our rich and complex system of second-person pronouns got whittled down to just you.

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Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 04:00:00 -0000

On the peculiar speech patterns of early 20th century Americans.

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Billy and Me Went to the Store

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 04:00:00 -0000

On the unwritten rules of pronouns.

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What Is a Dictionary, Really?

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with John Simpson, former editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.

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The Invisible Language of Nursery Rhymes

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 04:00:00 -0000

What does Hickory Dickory Dock really mean?

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Word Sex

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:00:00 -0000

Where do new words come from? Often old words.

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Should Shakespeare Get a Modern English Makeover?

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with Jack Lynch, author of Becoming Shakespeare: The Unlikely Afterlife That Turned a Provincial Playwright into the Bard.

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Are Emoji a Language?

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with Gretchen McCulloch on the big meaning behind our favorite little pictograms.

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Finding Life in a Dead Language

Tue, 12 Jul 2016 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with Ann Patty, author of Living With a Dead Language, about her transformative experience learning Latin.

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Rules Are Made to Be Spoken

Wed, 29 Jun 2016 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with Sali Tagliamonte, author of Making Waves: The Story of Variationist Sociolinguistics.

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Should We Make English Spelling Easier?

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 04:00:00 -0000

A conversation with etymologist Anatoly Liberman, author of Word Origins and How We Know Them.

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Your Brain on Profanity

Tue, 31 May 2016 04:00:00 -0000

Benjamin K. Bergen, author of What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves, discusses the science of cursing.

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LinguaFile XXIV | Roshambo

Tue, 17 May 2016 04:00:00 -0000

Why some people call rock-paper-scissors roshambo, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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The Blaccent

Tue, 03 May 2016 04:00:00 -0000

Linguist John McWhorter says the so-called blaccent is largely about vowel sounds.

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LinguaFile XXIII | Red Herring

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 04:00:00 -0000

How Clupea harengus — a.k.a. Atlantic herring — came to signify a diversionary tactic, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Defecation Presentation

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 04:00:00 -0000

The earliest known example of "sh-t show" is from an English-language translation of a 1970s criminal trial in Germany. But what was the word or phrase being translated?

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LinguaFile XXII | Grain of Salt

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 05:00:00 -0000

On the origin of a skeptical phrase, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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The Full, Firm, Valiant and Heavy-Hearted Trump

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 05:00:00 -0000

When exactly did sad become an insult?

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LinguaFile XXI | Wazzock

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 05:00:00 -0000

A peculiar insult from the north of England has the Oxford English Dictionary stumped, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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LinguaFile XX | In Cahoots

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 05:00:00 -0000

The curious case of a conspiratorial coinage, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Tears of Joy, Identity and a Prism of Isms

Mon, 28 Dec 2015 05:00:00 -0000

Editors at Merriam-Webster, Oxford University Press and Dictionary.com discuss the one word they believe best represents 2015.

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LinguaFile XIX | 86'd

Mon, 14 Dec 2015 05:00:00 -0000

On the early-20th-century origins of a bizarre food-industry code, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Snoozefest

Mon, 30 Nov 2015 05:00:00 -0000

The energetic history of the word sleep.

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LinguaFile XVIII | Hootenanny

Mon, 16 Nov 2015 05:00:00 -0000

On a word that was popularized during the 1940s folk movement, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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A Cat, a Coward and Female Genitalia

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 05:00:00 -0000

The etymological quirkiness of the word pussy.

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LinguaFile XVII | Humdinger

Mon, 19 Oct 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On a real beauty of a word, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Seven Centuries of F--ks

Mon, 05 Oct 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On a recent revelation regarding the history of one our most enduring expletives.

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LinguaFile XVI | Boondoggle

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On the origins of a very wasteful word, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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How New York Became the Big Apple

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 04:00:00 -0000

New York City is big, sure, but why an apple?

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LinguaFile XV | Gringo

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On the origin of a Spanish-language pejorative, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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What Do You Mean What Is It Like?

Mon, 10 Aug 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On “a literary history of the strange expression ‘what is it like?’” — with lexicographer Anne Seaton.

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LinguaFile XIV | Heebie Jeebies

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On the jittery history of a nervous term, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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What's the Deal with Translating Seinfeld?

Mon, 13 Jul 2015 04:00:00 -0000

Seinfeld has been dubbed into other languages, but does it actually translate?

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LinguaFile XIII | Bozo

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a doofy and goofy word, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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The Pollyanna Hypothesis

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 04:00:00 -0000

Are we humans a mostly positive people? Our language says yes.

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LinguaFile XII | Kibitz

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 04:00:00 -0000

Adding our two cents' worth from the peanut gallery, with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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M'athchomaroon, Zhey Lajak Vezhven!

Mon, 18 May 2015 04:00:00 -0000

Conlanger David J. Peterson on the art and craft of inventing languages for Game of Thrones.

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LinguaFile XI | Seersucker

Mon, 04 May 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On a well-traveled fabric, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Mon, 20 Apr 2015 04:00:00 -0000

You don't know nuthin' about the double negative.

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LinguaFile X | Pumpernickel

Mon, 13 Apr 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On the flatulent history of a popular deli staple, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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And Infinitum

Mon, 23 Mar 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On a quirk of grammar that Henry Fowler felt “should not be discountenanced.”

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LinguaFile IX | Carnival

Mon, 09 Mar 2015 04:00:00 -0000

On the contested origin of a gluttonous word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Sex Workers

Mon, 23 Feb 2015 05:00:00 -0000

The rise and fall of the feminine ending.

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LinguaFile VIII | Quiz

Mon, 09 Feb 2015 05:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a puzzling word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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The Many Lives of Anna Karenina

Mon, 26 Jan 2015 05:00:00 -0000

Just how faithful should a translator be to the original?

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LinguaFile VII | Cockamamie

Fri, 16 Jan 2015 05:00:00 -0000

On the Yiddish-inflected origin of a crazy word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Exposure to Vape Culture

Mon, 29 Dec 2014 05:00:00 -0000

Editors at Merriam-Webster, Oxford University Press, Dictionary.com and Wordnik discuss their rationale for choosing the one word that best represents 2014.

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LinguaFile VI | Grog

Mon, 15 Dec 2014 05:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a potent word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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What Does It Mean to Sound Gay?

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 05:00:00 -0000

Can you tell if a man is gay by the way he speaks?

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LinguaFile V | Get One's Goat

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 05:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a provocative phrase, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Number Theory

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 05:00:00 -0000

How many blackbirds were baked in that pie?

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LinguaFile IV | Snark

Mon, 20 Oct 2014 04:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a sarcastic word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Man on the Street

Mon, 06 Oct 2014 04:00:00 -0000

Jonathon Green's decades-long quest to document slang throughout the English-speaking world.

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LinguaFile III | Orange

Tue, 23 Sep 2014 04:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a well-traveled and colorful word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Demonstratively Speaking

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 04:00:00 -0000

On the rhetorical effect of this, that, these and those.

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LinguaFile II | Lagniappe

Mon, 25 Aug 2014 04:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a gratuitous word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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The Manic Pixie and the Magical Negro

Tue, 12 Aug 2014 04:00:00 -0000

Journalists Nathan Rabin and Christopher John Farley on the pitfalls of coining a viral term.

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LinguaFile I | Discombobulate

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 04:00:00 -0000

On the etymology of a bewildering word, featuring lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

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Fisherman's Whorf

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 04:00:00 -0000

On The Language Hoax, in which author and linguist John McWhorter pushes back against the idea that language affects culture.

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Legislating Language

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 04:00:00 -0000

Our next witness, Your Honor, is the dictionary — court cases in which lexicography played a starring role.

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The Dude Abides

Tue, 28 Jan 2014 05:00:00 -0000

The early history of dudery, starring swells and fops and with a cameo by Mark Twain.

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Learning to Say No

Fri, 20 Dec 2013 05:00:00 -0000

The surprisingly complex taxonomy of simple negation.

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Ask Not Who Wrote "Ask Not"

Tue, 17 Dec 2013 05:00:00 -0000

The crowdsourcing of JFK’s most iconic speech: Crafting President Kennedy’s inaugural address.

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The End of Ambiguity

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 05:00:00 -0000

On an invented language that forces you to choose your words carefully.

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The Burden of Being Right

Tue, 06 Aug 2013 04:00:00 -0000

Embracing the hand-slapping, prescriptivist schoolmarm in all of us.

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Name That Tone

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 04:00:00 -0000

How tonal languages such as Cantonese might give would-be musicians a leg up.

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Eject at High Altitude

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 04:00:00 -0000

The uncanny correlation between altitude and language development with Caleb Everett.

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30 Million By Four

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0000

How to raise verbal children: Why talking to your kids is one of the most important investments you can make in their future.

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A Brief History of Swearing

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0000

On profanity and obscenity with author Melissa Mohr.

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Accentuate the Positive

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0000

Yeah, no: On the seemingly paradoxical phrase and its hidden logic.

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The Fawth Flaw, Part II

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0000

The fall and rise of rhoticity (pronouncing your Rs) in New York City English.

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The Fawth Flaw

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0000

A classic study about R-dropping in Manhattan department stores and so-called "prestige borrowing."

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Get Your Creak On

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0000

On the vocal phenomenon called creaky voice or vocal fry.

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Good Is Up

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 05:00:00 -0000

Why the phrase "fiscal cliff" is such a powerful metaphor.

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Talking Leaves and Lightning Paper

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:00:00 -0000

Sequoyah: The Cherokee man who invented an alphabet for his language.

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Undocumented Illegals

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:00:00 -0000

The heated debate over language at the heart of U.S. immigration policy.

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Death to Potatoes

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 04:00:00 -0000

On the all-important role that language translation — and mistranslation — plays in our lives, with Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche.

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Here's to You Mrs. Malaprop

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 04:00:00 -0000

What misspeaking might reveal about the way our mental dictionary is organized.

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The Rate of Exchange

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:00:00 -0000

On the widespread belief that other languages are spoken more rapidly than your own.

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Ascent of the A-Word

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:00:00 -0000

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg on his book Ascent of the A-Word: A**holism, the First Sixty Years.

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Our Dying Words

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:00:00 -0000

Should we care when a language dies?

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Then Is Now, Now and Then

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:00:00 -0000

The narrative mastery of Seinfeld's Kramer: talking about the past in the present tense.

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By Their Words You Shall Know Them

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 04:00:00 -0000

How we know L. Frank Baum didn't write the 15th Oz book — the surprising way mathematicians can determine authorship.

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Capturing the Past

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 04:00:00 -0000

“Lord Grantham, Don Draper’s on Hold”: The algorithm that finds anachronisms in Downton Abbey, Mad Men and Edith Wharton.

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The Eloquence of Plain English

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:00:00 -0000

Was Honest Abe a Poet? How Lincoln’s speaking style evolved from overly ornate to the brilliant simplicity of Gettysburg.

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When Being Done Replaced Doing

Tue, 29 May 2012 04:00:00 -0000

As a language evolves, words, phrases and even whole tenses fall in and out of fashion. And then, every once in a while, a whole new way of expressing a particular thought will emerge seemingly out of nowhere and eventually win the day. That’s what happened over the course of the 19th century with the “progressive passive,” which took on a construction known as the “passival” and muscled it completely out of the English language. Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss what’s arguably the biggest change in our language since Shakespeare.

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One Giant Leap for Humanity

Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:00 -0000

In the third and final installment of the Lexicon Valley series about language and gender, Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss the ongoing quest for a single, more equitable alternative to “he” and “she.” Since at least the 1850s, English speakers have made many unsuccessful attempts to introduce an epicene pronoun into the language. But University of Michigan professor Anne Curzan argues that we don’t need such a word, since we already have a perfectly acceptable, if controversial, alternative — they. Don’t like that solution? Maybe she’ll convince you.

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And May He Be a Masculine Bridge

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:00 -0000

Does talking about an object as masculine or feminine somehow cause us to think of it that way? In the second part of a Lexicon Valley series about language and gender, Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss the fascinating research by Stanford psychologist Lera Boroditsky involving grammar and perception. They also wonder what may have happened to grammatical gender in English — that’s right, once upon a time we had grammatical gender, too. But then we lost it.

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When Nouns Grew Genitals

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 -0000

Languages all across the world have what’s called grammatical gender, which means simply that nouns get divided up into different categories or “classes.” Sometimes those categories are called masculine and feminine, like in Spanish, although for other languages the categories have nothing at all to do with natural gender or biological sex. In the first of a three-part Lexicon Valley series, Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield explore what it means for language to have gender and how it affects the way we think about the world.

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A Needle Pulling Thread

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:00:00 -0000

Have you noticed the seemingly stratospheric rise of the word “so” in recent years? People use it not only as a conjunction or an intensifying adverb — as in “That’s so awesome!” — but also to begin or end sentences in a manner pregnant with implied meaning. So… Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield set out to determine what exactly this sort of “so” might in fact be accomplishing.

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A Meditation on Scrabble

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0000

Does Scrabble in fact celebrate language? Or does it merely reduce English to a set of mathematical symbols and probability calculations? Mike Vuolo talks to Word Freak author and competitive Scrabble player Stefan Fatsis about how a math game disguised as a word game nevertheless unlocks the essential beauty of the English language.

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Untuning the String

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:00:00 -0000

In the early 1960s, amid a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union, a burgeoning civil rights movement here at home, and a dawning countercultural revolution, America’s intellectual class was in an utter freakout over a dictionary. That’s right, the 1961 publication of Webster’s Third Edition incited otherwise sober-minded newspaper and magazine writers to declare nothing less than the end of the world. Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield talk to author David Skinner about his book, The Story of Ain’t: America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published.

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Jumpin' Salty in The O

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0000

Kathryn Stockett’s dialogue-heavy The Help, a novel that was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie, caused a stir over whether a white writer should depict African-American English. But wait, what is African-American English exactly? And isn’t it called Ebonics? Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield sift through the history, misconceptions and reality of a vernacular wrapped in a dialect inside a language.

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Consider the Lamppost

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0000

Do you flinch when someone says “between you and I”? Textbook English tells us that it’s categorically ungrammatical, and yet it’s arguably more common than the officially sanctioned “between you and me.” Tennessee Williams, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare — all were guilty of using “I” when the sentence cried out for “me.” Or maybe they weren’t so guilty after all. Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss the oft-uttered, much-maligned “between you and I.”

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A Bundle of Faggots

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0000

On the history and future of the other F-word.

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A Sin of Which None Is Guilty

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0000

We all learned that you’re not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition. But from where did this alleged rule come? And why does it encumber us with such labored sentences as the one preceding this? Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield explore the history of the terminal preposition rule, and whether there are good reasons to follow it.

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