A Way with Words — language, linguistics, and callers from all over

51:01 | Sep 16th, 2019

One way to make your new business look trendy is to use two nouns separated by an ampersand, like Peach & Creature . . . or Rainstorm & Egg. A tongue-in-cheek website will generate names like that for...Show More

00:43 | Sep 14th, 2016

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52:55 | Dec 28th, 2020

The edge of the Grand Canyon. A remote mountaintop, or a medieval cathedral. Some places are so mystical you feel like you're close to another dimension of space and time. There's a term for such loca...Show More

52:25 | Dec 21st, 2020

What's it like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada? You'll end up with sore muscles and blisters, and great stories to tell. Along the way, you'll also pick up some slang...Show More

52:54 | Dec 14th, 2020

This week on A Way with Words: Your first name is very personal, but what if you don't like it? For some people, changing their name works out great, but for others, it may create more problems than i...Show More

51:30 | Dec 7th, 2020

Astronauts returning from space say they experience what's called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species....Show More

51:26 | Nov 30th, 2020

The autocomplete function on your phone comes in handy, of course. But is it changing the way we write and how linguists study language? Also, suppose you could invite any two authors, living or dead,...Show More

51:33 | Nov 23rd, 2020

How do actors bring Shakespeare's lines to life so that modern audiences immediately understand the text? One way is to emphasize the names of people and places at certain points. That technique is ca...Show More