language

Lean Back And LOL: Texting Is Not Ruining Language

The Conversation With Ross Reynolds — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:03:23 +0000

Texting has become an incredibly common way of communicating in the 21st century. Back in 2011, the Pew Research Center reported that young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 sent around 110 text messages per day. The texting craze has also given rise to an entirely new vocabulary — texters of all ages abbreviate, punctuate and accentuate in ways that are totally unique to the cell phone age.

So one question arises: Is texting killing our language? Ross Reynolds LOLs with professor John McWhorter and discusses the possible impact of txting and the feared f8 of language.

Weekday Archive: Taj Mahal And Steven Pinker

Weekday with Steve Scher — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Our spring membership drive rolls along with two of our favorite interviews: two-time Grammy winning musician Taj Mahal joined us late last year to celebrate 40 years in music and a new retrospective album, "Maestro." Plus, we listen back to a conversation with Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker about his book, "The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature."

Words We Love And Words We Hate

The Conversation With Ross Reynolds — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:04:43 +0000

What's so funny about peace, love and understanding? Nothing, but other words are hilarious! Ross Reynolds talks with language columnist Ben Zimmer about words we love, words we hate and words that simply make us laugh.

Call The Grammar Police!

Steve Scher — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

When it comes to proper usage, the Grammar Police work overtime. Have you ever corrected another person’s grammar? How did that go over? Linguist Geoffrey Pullum has written widely on language and usage, from technical syntactic theory to a study called “The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax." He joins us for a conversation about the constant struggle for grammatical excellence (or even just improvement) and the right and wrong way to encourage better sentence structure.

Does Changing State Law To Use Gender Neutral Wording Matter?

Ross Reynolds — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Washington state is in the process of changing the language in state law to make it more gender neutral. Policemen are now police officers, for instance, and freshmen will become first-year students. Supporters say the change is needed because language matters. Critics say the changes are a waste of money. Ross Reynolds interviews University of Washington Sociolinguist Crispin Thurlow, and we take your phone calls.

What Words From 2012 Would You Banish?

Ross Reynolds — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:35:43 +0000

Bring us your tired metaphors, overused phrases and words that summon an unpleasant visceral reaction. Ben Zimmer, language columnist for the Boston Globe, explains why these words and phrases bother us so much. Sometimes a word variant sounds odd to our ear, even if it’s correct, such as “pleaded” rather than “plead.” Other problems arise when words reveal disparities, such as a lack of an equivalent term for the opposite gender. And jargon can become offensive when it migrates from its original community to more common use in mainstream media or by different age groups.

Conlangs: The Art Of Fake Languages

Steve Scher — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Constructed languages, or "conlangs," are the made-up tongues that bring the worlds of "Avatar," "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Trek" to life. We talk with linguist David J. Peterson, creator of the Dothraki language for HBO's "Game of Thrones," about what goes into creating a language from scratch.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg On America's Favorite Insult

Steve Scher — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000

In “Ascent of the A-Word,” linguist and "Fresh Air" commentator Geoffrey Nunberg considers a word that has divided, offended and fascinated its users for the last 60 years. What is its essence? And what does it say about our values, impressions and relationships with other people? Nunberg joins us to discuss one of the culture’s most commonly hurled vulgarities and its place in society.