Lexicon Valley

Latest Episodes:

The Problem with You Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

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 Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

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? Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

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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One Is the Loneliest Number Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

'Only,' 'lonely,' 'alone' and even 'atone' all derive from the number 'one,' which, by the way, wasn’t always pronounced as if it began with the letter w.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 245: "One Is the Loneliest Number." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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Throw Up, Turn Out & Believe Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

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" Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

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? Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

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. Jul 06, 2022

Show notes

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 Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

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 Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

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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