Lexicon Valley

Society EN ↓ 311 episodes

A podcast about language, with hosts Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter.

Author

Lexicon Valley

Episodes

I Just Can't! 28.04.2020 46:37

Yes, linguists have language peeves too. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Many Meanings of Too 14.04.2020 42:22

The word too is far more versatile than you think. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sicko, Whacko, Weirdo 31.03.2020 44:05

What's with that long o sound we stick on the ends of words like neato and, yes, fatso? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Myth Surrounding Mandarin 17.03.2020 50:22

Chinese has no grammar, right? Wrong! X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Uptalk to Vocal Fry 03.03.2020 49:57

Women are the most prolific language innovators. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In What Order Did Languages Arrive in Europe? 18.02.2020 44:21

Cutting edge research gives linguists new insight. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Digging Up the Past 04.02.2020 33:18

It may be ancient history, but we need a way to talk about it. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Verbs on the Move 21.01.2020 41:30

Like the boy said in that song: you come and go, you come and go. We all do. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Processes Rhyme With Knees? 07.01.2020 48:10

Is our pretentiousness causing us to pronounce words wrong? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Bisl Yiddish 24.12.2019 47:34

Yiddish is the gefilte fish of Germanic languages. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Private Parts 10.12.2019 40:21

How did cock come to mean a male chicken and a penis? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Soft Power of Like 26.11.2019 45:44

Words and phrases that are often dismissed as filler are actually conveying politeness. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Men, Women and Children 12.11.2019 37:36

The weird plurals of sentient beings. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zombie English 29.10.2019 35:07

Dead parts of our language have a way of sticking around. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's Do Lunch 16.10.2019 38:20

Come table-hopping as we discuss the linguistic quirks of mealtime terms. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Think Like a Linguist 01.10.2019 30:47

The alphabet doesn't quite capture the many sounds we make. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has English Gotten Less Complex? 17.09.2019 40:46

English pronouns in particular have simplified over time. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S#!t, Hell and Darn 03.09.2019 27:09

Dissecting three common curse words. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Family Speaks 1,200 Languages 20.08.2019 46:08

From Javanese to Tagalog, the wonderful Austronesian languages. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Language vs. Dialect 06.08.2019 42:19

A language is a dialect with an army, to paraphrase a renowned linguist. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Internet Loves the Exclamation Point!! 23.07.2019 35:39

On some of the deep forces that shape human language. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Is “Ph” Pronounced That Way? 09.07.2019 32:55

We have two F sounds in English but only one is spelled with the letter F. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Language Affect Thought? 25.06.2019 47:45

Another look at the so-called Whorf Hypothesis, the idea that the language you speak affects your perception of the world. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Fleeting Glance 11.06.2019 39:33

Reflections on transience. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Romance Languages 28.05.2019 44:37

On French, Spanish, Italian, etc. — otherwise known as the Romances. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices