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Age, Color, Origin, Material
Listen now (24 min) | There are “rules” in English that are unspoken and untaught, like nuances of the future tense or how to order our adjectives.
John McWhorter
Mar 20
27
25
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Age, Color, Origin, Material
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In Flagrante Delicto
Listen now (3 min) | To understand what "delicto" means it helps to start with "relic."
John McWhorter
Mar 13
8
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In Flagrante Delicto
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One for the Record Books
Listen now (26 min) | To record is to cord again, right? Not exactly.
John McWhorter
Mar 6
31
3
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One for the Record Books
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February 2023
The Cultural Shades of "Disrespect"
Also, are redundancies like "also ... too" more common nowadays?
John McWhorter
Feb 28
3
4
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The Cultural Shades of "Disrespect"
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Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?
Listen now (31 min) | An encore presentation of a much loved episode.
John McWhorter
Feb 20
46
5
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Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?
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Why Do I Say "Frankly" So Much?
Plus: one, two, three ... but first, second, third. Are all languages weird like that?
John McWhorter
Feb 16
5
4
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Why Do I Say "Frankly" So Much?
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Master of Our Domain
Listen now (5 min) | Do we eliminate a word because of its association with slavery?
John McWhorter
Feb 13
16
8
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Master of Our Domain
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Past Master
Listen now (25 min) | Should we avoid the word "master" altogether because of its connection with slavery?
John McWhorter
Feb 5
36
21
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Past Master
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January 2023
Jane Austen Used Wont. Why Don't We?
Listen now (4 min) | It probably had something to do with the rise of won't.
John McWhorter
Jan 27
16
3
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Jane Austen Used Wont. Why Don't We?
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Are You Tryna Hear This?
Listen now (31 min) | Why do some English speakers use the word "try" in place of "want"?
John McWhorter
Jan 22
23
10
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Are You Tryna Hear This?
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Why Does Gaelic Look That Way?
Also, the existential angst of THERE.
John McWhorter
Jan 17
5
1
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Why Does Gaelic Look That Way?
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Intelligence = Understanding
Listen now (6 min) | Why is some older literature so hard to read? Language change.
John McWhorter
Jan 13
13
2
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Intelligence = Understanding
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