Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios Podcast
1) Ask Not ...?
Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield interview Richard Tofel on his book Sound the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, revealing the startling authorship behind JFK’s most famous words....Show More
2) The American Accent Came First
What did English sound like during the Revolutionary War? John has a number of fascinating observations about the way the language was spoken back then — including the accents!PLEASE COME FIND US AT b...Show More
3) Oversleeping at the Sleepover
Over isn’t just the opposite of under and off is not necessarily the opposite of on. John explains.Please subscribe to Lexicon Valley to support our show — go to www.booksmartstudios.com to find out h...Show More
4) The Story of Us
John talks about the subject of his new book by Avery Publishing — Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words.Please subscribe at www.booksmartstudios.com and thank you for listening! This...Show More
5) Fire, Die, Rim
The Thai words for fire, die and rim sound an awful lot like the English words fire, die and rim. Why is that? John explains.To help support Lexicon Valley please consider a paid subscription — visit ...Show More
6) Hither and Yon
Words like thence and thither are all but obsolete in English, but they were actually quite useful! John explains.SUBSCRIBE to LEXICON VALLEY — please go to www.booksmartstudios.com to become a paid m...Show More
7) Down the Rabbit Hole
Do you know the difference between a rabbit and a hare? And what then is a bunny? Follow John through the etymological warrens of these several words. This is a public episode. If you would like to di...Show More
8) Giving You the Business
It may seem apparent how we got from busyness to business, but the origins of the word “busy” itself are shrouded in mystery. John explains. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this...Show More
9) When Is Code-Switching Inappropriate?
As a daily listener to WNYC Public Radio in New York City, John has noticed that a certain announcer frequently mispronounces words on air. He has thoughts. This is a public episode. If you would like...Show More
10) The World's Largest Family
Working backwards from existing languages, linguists have had great success reconstructing Proto-Indo-European. Does that mean we can do the same for all language families? John explains. This is a pu...Show More