Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

Home
Q&A
LV: Remastered
Archive
About
Who's Afraid of Ayesha Rascoe?
Is the voice of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday host truly grating or just too Black?
 • 
John McWhorter
41
32:03
On the Singular 'They' and Slippery Slopes
Listen now | Language change is disruptive, disorienting and exciting — don't fear the singular "they."
 • 
John McWhorter
48
33:49
When Is Code-Switching Inappropriate?
Should a radio announcer be held to a higher standard of pronunciation?
 • 
John McWhorter
8
27:26
The Evolution of 'Woke'
Listen now | In this special crossover episode, John discusses the problem with "problematic" and tracks the shifting meaning of "cancel culture."
 • 
John McWhorter
31
30:19
Let Sleeping Dogs Lay
Listen now | For his 150th episode, John argues that the distinction between "lie" and "lay" is an archaism we should abandon.
 • 
John McWhorter
60
26:48
You Are SO Articulate. Really.
Juggling thousands of bizarre idioms, nuanced definitions and subtle rules, we somehow wield our language handily. We're amazing.
 • 
John McWhorter
5
38:08
Is Negro a Slur or Just Antiquated?
And does the word "picnic" have a racist origin?
 • 
John McWhorter
8
34:35
Why Do Brits Put R's Where They Don't Belong?
Also, how did the verb "to be" evolve into such an irregular mess?
 • 
John McWhorter
9
The Luck of the Pot
Does "potluck" have Native American origins?
 • 
John McWhorter
7
5:55
JFK's Most Famous Sentence
John McWhorter analyzes the profoundly resonant "Ask not" line, word for word.
 • 
John McWhorter
9
42:59
Reviving Dead Languages
Listen now | Bringing a language back to life is damned hard. So why resuscitate?
 • 
John McWhorter
18
44:12
BONUS: English Is Hard Enough Without Antiquated Distinctions
Listen now | Why John isn't backing down on lay-lie equivalency.
 • 
John McWhorter
6:23
© 2025 Lexicon Valley
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture