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PODCAST

That"s What They Say

Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector

Funner, snuck, and LOL are all things that we"re hearing people say these days.That"s What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan studies linguistics and the history of the English language. Each week she"ll discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Hector.That"s What They Say airs Fridays at 4:45 p.m. and Sundays at 9:35 a.m. on Michigan Public and you can

education language learning

All Episodes

4:50

TWTS: How worms of destruction begat worms of wisdom

That"s What They Say ·

2024/05/20

While now we may think of being a bookworm as a positive trait, that hasn't always been the case.

en

4:54

TWTS: It "ghosts" without saying ... well, anything

That"s What They Say ·

2024/05/13

Social media has made a couple of longstanding English verbs work or mean differently.

en

4:57

TWTS: You can pay homage with or without the "h"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/04/29

If you want to pronounce "homage" to a tee, it may depend what you mean.

en

5:10

TWTS: Learning new slang is good "for the plot"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/04/21

As we live our lives, there's some new slang words that can help us narrate it as we go. That is, if we're in a demographic that allows us to use slang credibly.

en

5:07

TWTS: Whether "or not" belongs in "whether or not" or...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/04/14

We don’t all agree on whether or not we should correct the phrasing "whether or not."

en

4:10

TWTS: Going forth and back on "back and forth"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/04/07

We can talk about sending emails back and forth. But why does it sound odd to talk about sending them forth and back?

en

4:52

TWTS: You can tuna fish, but you may not need the "fish"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/04/01

Given that “tuna” is a fish, some may find it unnecessary to call out that fact out in the compound “tuna fish.” For others, “fish” may be an important distinction.

en

5:14

TWTS: Prone to be prone

That"s What They Say ·

2024/03/24

You can be prone to do something, whether you're lying down or not.

en

5:17

TWTS: Attend as many "trainings" as you like

That"s What They Say ·

2024/03/18

There’s evidence of a new peeve arising. This one is focused on “training” as a countable noun.

en

4:33

TWTS: An oft overlooked double possessive

That"s What They Say ·

2024/03/10

Lots of people don't like the redundancy in "irregardless." However, no one's fussy about the redundancy in a phrase like "a friend of mine."

en

5:13

TWTS: An ouster for the ouster

That"s What They Say ·

2024/03/03

An ouster can be an act of ousting, or it can be the one who does the ousting. But we seem to have opted for one of those meanings over the other.

en

4:54

TWTS: Need something? Manifest it

That"s What They Say ·

2024/02/25

At this point, we can manifest our dream future, a good grade on a exam, or even a parking spot.

en

4:48

TWTS: "Curry favor" comes from a horse (of course, of...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/02/18

Currying favor has everything to do with flattery and horses, and nothing to do with food.

en

4:45

TWTS: Known liars better hope their pants never...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/02/11

There’s a children’s rhyme that involves liars and pants on fire and various types of wires. Now, we can say things are “pants on fire” false.

en

4:52

TWTS: If or whether you should use "if" or "whether"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/02/04

If you worry about if or whether you should use "if" or "whether" in exactly this construction, you're not alone.

en

5:01

TWTS: Intensifiers are so intense

That"s What They Say ·

2024/01/28

It's been really dreary and so icy outside lately. It's awfully tempting to wear super cozy clothes and use lots of intensifiers.

en

5:06

TWTS: Badgered badgers badger

That"s What They Say ·

2024/01/21

Badgers live underground and are nocturnal, so we don't see them running around all that often. Somehow though, they're associated with a negative, annoying verb.

en

5:07

TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2023 Word of the...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/01/14

The year 2023 is officially in the record books. As part of taking stock, the members of the American Dialect Society met to consider what we've all been up to linguistically.

en

5:21

TWTS: A rule about which we should be asking questions

That"s What They Say ·

2024/01/07

Many of us were taught the rule that we shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, and honestly this is a rule we should be asking questions about.

en

4:35

TWTS: Tupperware containers are plastic, but are...

That"s What They Say ·

2023/12/24

It's undeniable that "Tupperware" has become a generic catch-all for plastic containers, regardless of shape, size, or brand. Not everyone likes this.

en

151 results

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