Baby Blues (Rebroadcast) - 1 July 2024

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

A Way with Words

Education, Language Learning, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2024

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn’t about “suffering.” It’s from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include Jody calls, rhyming verses about the mythical guy who steals your sweetheart while you’re off serving the country. But just who is Jody, anyway? And, maybe you’ve resolved to read more books this year. But how to ensure your success? Maybe start by rearranging your bookshelves for easier viewing. And think of reading like physical fitness: Sneak in a little extra activity here and there, and you’ll reach your goal before you know it. Also, bless your heart, baby blue, a brain teaser about the words no and not, wall stretcher, desire path, neckdown, sneckdown, and can’t dance, and too wet to plow, and more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/contact. Be a part of the show: call 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; worldwide, call or text/SMS +1 (619) 800-4443. Email [email protected]. Twitter @wayword. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Away with Words, this show about language and how we use it.
0:03.2	I'm Grant Barrett.
0:04.1	And I'm Martha Barnett.
0:05.8	I always appreciate it when an expert in a specialized field can talk to non-experts in a way that's clear and concise and understandable.
0:16.4	And that's why I was interested in a book called The Five Minute Linguist.
0:20.8	It's a collection of dozens of very short essays by linguists from across the country,
0:26.0	and each of them addresses some question involving language,
0:30.0	the kind of thing that they might be asked at a dinner party or just sitting around drinking a beer
0:35.7	things like what causes somebody to have a foreign accent or what's the difference between a language and a dialect and the essays in this book are the
0:43.0	difference between a language and a dialect. And the essays in this book are really bite-sized.
0:46.0	They're just three to five pages,
0:49.0	with references at the end,
0:51.0	which makes it a really intriguing way to sort of wander through the topic of language
0:55.3	and just follow whatever aspect intrigues you.
0:58.2	I had the good fortune to see the live version of the Five Minute Linguist at the annual
1:02.1	convention of the Linguistics
1:03.3	Society of America Conference in New Orleans.
1:05.4	Oh, I bet that was fun.
1:06.6	It was very fun.
1:07.4	They presented it kind of like the moth.
1:09.4	So all of these prepared speakers who clearly had rehearsed and had fantastic slide shows got up exactly five minutes,
1:16.6	presented very exciting material in a very familiar fun way, and there was voting,
	...

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