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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

5:15

TWTS: Reach out and ping someone

That"s What They Say ·

2024/12/16

We can still reach out the car window to grab a parking ticket, but today, "reaching out" can also mean "pinging" someone to make a connection.

en

5:09

TWTS: A quintessential enough guide to "quintessential"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/12/08

The words "decimate" and "unique" are quintessential examples of how a word’s meaning can shift from its etymological roots.

en

5:20

TWTS: The not-so-ordinary world of "ordinary" and...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/12/01

"Ornery" seems like an ordinary enough word, but its link to "ordinary" might surprise people.

en

4:54

TWTS: Dilly dallying in the lightning round

That"s What They Say ·

2024/11/24

As listeners wait with bated breath, we will not dilly dally or shilly shally to get to this lightning round.

en

5:09

TWTS: Language pet peeves don't always stand the test...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/11/17

Looking at late 19th century language peeves can often point to a change in progress, but not always.

en

5:17

TWTS: "These ones" made the lightning round

That"s What They Say ·

2024/11/11

Of all the topics we could cover this week on That's What They Say, we chose these ones over those ones.

en

5:24

TWTS: We've seen a change with "sea change"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/11/04

A sea change can now be caused by many things other than the sea, and some of its dramatic effects have been lost in the process.

en

5:26

TWTS: The touchy third rail

That"s What They Say ·

2024/10/28

We're going to try not to touch the third rail, but we are going to talk about it.

en

5:19

TWTS: In America, it's always hot dog season

That"s What They Say ·

2024/10/14

Major League Baseball playoffs and football tailgate season both mean the smell of hot dogs is in the air.

en

5:16

TWTS: Petards are for hoisting, not stabbing

That"s What They Say ·

2024/10/04

We don't encounter petards very often anymore. That’s unless we’re being, metaphorically speaking, “hoisted with our own petard.”

en

4:38

TWTS: Should we stop utilizing "utilize" and just use...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/09/23

There are plenty of people out there who see "utilize" as a pretentious substitute for "use." However, some people are completely comfortable utilizing the verb "utilize."

en

4:59

TWTS: Yeah, we need to talk about "yay"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/09/16

There’s the “yea” in voting “yea” or “nay," and then there’s the celebratory “Yay!" Oh yeah, there's also "yeah."

en

5:08

TWTS: Whoa, is that how you spell "whoa"?

That"s What They Say ·

2024/09/09

Whoa, whoa, whoa. There are a lot of ways to spell "whoa."

en

4:37

TWTS: Your caring about gerunds is noble, but you...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/09/01

You could say, "I don't like him singing," or you could say, "I don't like his singing." Believe it or not, some folks have very strong feelings about which of those is correct.

en

4:04

TWTS: The case of "pleaded" v. "pled"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/08/25

It's all so grammatically straight forward in the present tense if you plead innocent. Later on though, should you tell people you "pleaded" innocent or "pled" innocent?

en

5:20

TWTS: Goods in the can may not always be "canned"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/08/18

The sign at the grocery store said “can goods,” not “canned goods.”

en

5:00

TWTS: Keeping track of “track” and “tract"

That"s What They Say ·

2024/08/11

We keep track of things, we lose track of things, we run track, and listen to tracks. Sometimes though, we confuse “track” with “tract.”

en

5:06

TWTS: The “all” in “alls” is just another tough one...

That"s What They Say ·

2024/08/04

Alls our listener wanted to know is what's going on with the “alls” in “alls I know.”

en

5:14

TWTS: Are you really a Realtor?

That"s What They Say ·

2024/07/28

Technically, not everyone you buy real estate from is a realtor.

en

5:19

TWTS: The day sped by when time speeded up

That"s What They Say ·

2024/07/21

The summer sped by and the car sped off, but perhaps we speeded up the process.

en

117 results

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