Lexicon Valley
Lexicon Valley
A podcast about language, with hosts Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter.
Author
Lexicon Valley
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Jul 7, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
The Invisible Complexities of Translation 13.04.2021 42:54
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
English Is Plain Weird 30.03.2021 42:11
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Subject-Verb-Object, Right? 16.03.2021 40:54
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Parting Company 02.03.2021 35:43
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wallowing in Negativity 16.02.2021 43:45
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fossil Hunting in English 02.02.2021 43:41
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Do Languages Have Gender? 19.01.2021 54:06
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Forgetting Your Roots 05.01.2021 58:16
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Future English Speaker, Can You Read Me? 22.12.2020 1:05:43
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Getting Got 08.12.2020 43:19
The many subtle nuances of one of our most common verbs. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 202: "Getting Got." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On the Origin of English 24.11.2020 1:01:12
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
White Author, Black English. Problem? 10.11.2020 56:07
Is it appropriation for a white novelist to render Black speech? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do Cats Have Language? 27.10.2020 1:02:03
The way that animals communicate is fascinating, yes, but a far cry from human speech. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sergeant, Corporal, Colonel 13.10.2020 40:01
The peculiar language of our military ranks. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
To Reason Why 29.09.2020 38:12
How come? What for? The many ways to ask why. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Talking to Your Mother-in-Law Is a Minefield 15.09.2020 43:54
On codeswitching among family members and relations. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Incredible Story of the Traveling Creole 01.09.2020 1:02:31
A creole language that boomeranged between two continents. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Am a Minstrel Stereotype, Right? 18.08.2020 55:52
On Black English and the verb to be. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Jews Adapted Spanish 04.08.2020 47:43
Linguistic inspiration from historian Alan Mikhail’s new book God’s Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Does English Have a Future? 21.07.2020 43:25
Do languages even need a future tense, or can we get along just fine without it? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Defund Karen 07.07.2020 42:31
Social justice movements yield a trove of new catchphrases and words. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Beyond the Five Ws 23.06.2020 52:31
Inquiring around the world. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tweety Bird and Toddlerspeak 09.06.2020 40:35
How do children pick up language so readily? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Coronavirus: Isolation and Aspiration 26.05.2020 44:47
Are certain consonants to blame for spreading germs? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our Indigenous Languages 20.05.2020 1:01:27
The wonderfully complex Native American tongues. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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