Archive - Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

The American Accent Came First

It wasn't until the 1800s that Brits started talking that way.

Jul 9 •

29:57

May 2025

Oversleeping at the Sleepover

Little prepositions are a big part of what makes English so flexible.

May 20 •

25:09

April 2025

The Story of Us

A brief discussion of what makes seven little words — I, you, he, she, it, we and they — so interesting.

Apr 22 •

21:06

March 2025

Why do words sometimes sound so similar in vastly different languages? It's usually one of three reasons.

Mar 11 •

32:22

January 2025

This Little Piggy

How are pig, pork and swine all related? They're not.

Jan 19 •

Here, there, where; hence, thence, whence; hither, thither, whither. Notice a pattern?

Jan 7 •

25:50

December 2024

When Are the Dead No Longer "Late"?

Also, did we go from bad to badder to worse?

Dec 4, 2024 •

November 2024

Down the Rabbit Hole

Elmer Fudd's not the only one huntin' wascally wabbits.

Nov 27, 2024 •

22:54

October 2024

Giving You the Business

Getting busy with a going concern.

Oct 15, 2024 •

24:45

September 2024

When Is Code-Switching Inappropriate?

Should a radio announcer be held to a higher standard of pronunciation?

Sep 9, 2024 •

27:26

August 2024

The World's Largest Family

Almost half of all people speak an Indo-European language as their mother tongue. How did that happen?

Aug 1, 2024 •

19:27

July 2024

English Is Practically Naked

Most Indo-European languages are decked out with gender and noun endings and other accessories. Some are wearing very little.

Jul 12, 2024 •

21:40

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts