Podcast appearances and mentions of michael erard

As 20-year-old Olga Janáčková lay dying from typhoid fever, her father wrote down everything she said. Later, he transformed those words—and gasps—into music. The grieving father, Czech composer Leoš Janáček, called the ultra-short musical pieces "speech melodies." In this episode, language writer Michael Erard invites cellist Petronella Torin to play Olga's speech melodies. NYU's Michael Beckerman describes the controversy surrounding them. This is among countless ways that loved ones have memorialized the final words of the dying. Michael Erard tells the stories of many of them in his new book, Bye Bye I Love You. Music in this episode by Magnus Ludvigsson, Medité, Dream Cave, Nylonia, Alexandra Woodward, Cobby Costa, August Wilhelmsson, David Celeste, Martin Landstrom, Gavin Luke, Rand Also, Airae, Alan Ellis, Jules Gaia, Trabant 33, and Leoš Janáček. More about cellist Petronella Torin here. The photo (via Wikimedia Commons) shows Olga Janáčková, daughter of the Czech composer Leoš Janáček, not long before her death from typhoid fever. Read a transcript of this episode here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

As 20-year-old Olga Janáčková lay dying from typhoid fever, her father wrote down everything she said. Later, he transformed those words—and gasps—into music. The grieving father, Czech composer Leoš Janáček, called the ultra-short musical pieces "speech melodies." In this episode, language writer Michael Erard invites cellist Petronella Torin to play Olga's speech melodies. NYU's Michael Beckerman describes the controversy surrounding them. This is among countless ways that loved ones have memorialized the final words of the dying. Michael Erard tells the stories of many of them in his new book, Bye Bye I Love You. Music in this episode by Magnus Ludvigsson, Medité, Dream Cave, Nylonia, Alexandra Woodward, Cobby Costa, August Wilhelmsson, David Celeste, Martin Landstrom, Gavin Luke, Rand Also, Airae, Alan Ellis, Jules Gaia, Trabant 33, and Leoš Janáček. More about cellist Petronella Torin here. The photo (via Wikimedia Commons) shows Olga Janáčková, daughter of the Czech composer Leoš Janáček, not long before her death from typhoid fever. Read a transcript of this episode here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay sets up the final week of the federal election campaign with political journalists Rob Russo, Emilie Nicolas and Ryan Jespersen, The Beaverton's Luke Gordon Field and The Onion's Christine Wenc talk about the craft of satire in an age of misinformation, linguist Michael Erard reflects on what our first and last words say about us, and The Sunday Magazine's Howard Goldenthal looks at the legacy of the Cambodian genocide.Discover more at cbc.ca/sunday

First words and last words get a lot of attention. But how did words get to have such a place of prominence? What would we see if we focused on interaction instead? A new book looks at words, gestures, and silence at the beginning and end of life. Daniel has a chat with the author of Bye Bye I Love You, Dr Michael Erard. Timestamps Cold open: 0:00 Intros: 1:05 News: 6:59 Related or Not: 35;54 Interview with Michael Erard: 47:56 Words of the Week: 1:33:32 Comment: 1:45:46  The Reads: 1:49:43 Outtake: 1:56:01

Michael Erard – Bye Bye I love you: The story of our first and last words...with TRE's Hannah Murray

This series was originally broadcast in 2020.Science and politics are not easy bedfellows - "Stick to the science" is a three part series which aims to find out why.In this episode we're asking how politics shapes the life of a working scientist. Be it through funding agendas, cultural lobbies or personal bias, there's a myriad of ways in which politics can shape the game; influencing the direction and quality of research, But what does this mean for the objective ideals of science?This episode was produced by Nick Petrić Howe, with editing from Noah Baker and Benjamin Thompson. it featured contributions from many people, including: Mayana Zatz, Shobita Parthasarathy, Michael Erard, Peg AtKisson, Susannah Gal, Allen Rostron, Mark Rosenberg, and Alice Bell. Further ReadingBrazil's budget cuts threaten more than 80,000 science scholarshipsMove to reallocate funds from scientific institutions in São PauloBacklash to “Shrimps on a treadmill”Explanation of the Dickey AmendmentAfter over 20 years the CDC can now fund gun violence researchSpirometer use “race-correction” softwareBlack researchers less likely to get funding from the National Institutes of Health in the USBlack researchers may get less funding from the National Institutes of Health due to topic choiceBlack researchers fill fewer academic roles in the UKClinical trials use mostly white participantsThe Received Wisdom Podcast, with Shobita Parthasarathy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we enter Holy Week we reflect on Jesus and his insurmountable love for us. Jesus marched into hell so we could have heaven. He took the desert so we could have garden, and He took the eternal thirst so you could have fountain of life. References: "Even as Jesus' disciples fled from him in shame, he could cite Psalm while looking out from the cross at his mother. He could see in her an important part of his own personal story, a story that testified to the faithfulness and loving-kindness of God. In the moment of his greatest desolation, Jesus could see the invisible outline of God's mercy and presence there in the one from whom, in his human nature, he learned to trust a fathering, a nurturing God. The horror of the scene was not the whole story; the judgment of the Roman Empire was not the final word. He knew that since he was cradled in the arms of his mother." Russell More, https://www.russellmoore.com/2019/05/08/why-do-dying-men-call-for-mama/ What People Actually Say Before They Die, by Michael Erard, January 16, 2019, The Atlantic

As we enter Holy Week we reflect on Jesus and his insurmountable love for us. Jesus marched into hell so we could have heaven. He took the desert so we could have garden, and He took the eternal thirst so you could have fountain of life. References: "Even as Jesus' disciples fled from him in shame, he could cite Psalm while looking out from the cross at his mother. He could see in her an important part of his own personal story, a story that testified to the faithfulness and loving-kindness of God. In the moment of his greatest desolation, Jesus could see the invisible outline of God's mercy and presence there in the one from whom, in his human nature, he learned to trust a fathering, a nurturing God. The horror of the scene was not the whole story; the judgment of the Roman Empire was not the final word. He knew that since he was cradled in the arms of his mother." Russell More, https://www.russellmoore.com/2019/05/08/why-do-dying-men-call-for-mama/ What People Actually Say Before They Die, by Michael Erard, January 16, 2019, The Atlantic

As we enter Holy Week we reflect on Jesus and his insurmountable love for us. Jesus marched into hell so we could have heaven. He took the desert so we could have garden, and He took the eternal thirst so you could have fountain of life. References: "Even as Jesus' disciples fled from him in shame, he could cite Psalm while looking out from the cross at his mother. He could see in her an important part of his own personal story, a story that testified to the faithfulness and loving-kindness of God. In the moment of his greatest desolation, Jesus could see the invisible outline of God's mercy and presence there in the one from whom, in his human nature, he learned to trust a fathering, a nurturing God. The horror of the scene was not the whole story; the judgment of the Roman Empire was not the final word. He knew that since he was cradled in the arms of his mother." Russell More, https://www.russellmoore.com/2019/05/08/why-do-dying-men-call-for-mama/ What People Actually Say Before They Die, by Michael Erard, January 16, 2019, The Atlantic

As we enter Holy Week we reflect on Jesus and his insurmountable love for us. Jesus marched into hell so we could have heaven. He took the desert so we could have garden, and He took the eternal thirst so you could have fountain of life. References: "Even as Jesus' disciples fled from him in shame, he could cite Psalm while looking out from the cross at his mother. He could see in her an important part of his own personal story, a story that testified to the faithfulness and loving-kindness of God. In the moment of his greatest desolation, Jesus could see the invisible outline of God's mercy and presence there in the one from whom, in his human nature, he learned to trust a fathering, a nurturing God. The horror of the scene was not the whole story; the judgment of the Roman Empire was not the final word. He knew that since he was cradled in the arms of his mother." Russell More, https://www.russellmoore.com/2019/05/08/why-do-dying-men-call-for-mama/ What People Actually Say Before They Die, by Michael Erard, January 16, 2019, The Atlantic

Have y'all ever driven down the East Coast? I don't mean to spoil the magic for you but I gotta say, it's basically a straight shot through a wall of trees. So I was pretty excited when I noticed a few colorful billboards dotting my path. That excitement quickly turned to disgust when I realized that those billboards were super-duper racist. These billboards not only appropriated Mexican culture but also used broken English and made fun of Mexican accents. Yikes.  In this episode we break down linguistic racism and dig deep into what it looks like and what we can do about it. Press play to learn: What linguistic racism looks like. The detrimental effects of linguistic racism. Why it's so important to talk to our children about unfamiliar accents.  Concrete ways to introduce unfamiliar accents to our children and fight linguistic racism.   Join us for a Policy Party You know what anti-racism looks like in your home, now let's take it into our communities! Join us for a Policy Party on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. ET, where Lindsay Dusard will talk to us about refugee allyship! At each Policy Party, we hang out over Zoom with experts from community-based organizations who will help us understand the issues and policies relevant to their area of expertise. Each party focuses on a different subject — anything from immigration to environmental justice and more! You'll leave each party with specific actionable steps you can take to make your community more compassionate, inclusive and anti-racist. My friend Lindsay will join us to discuss how we can be better allies to members of the refugee community. She has worked in refugee resettlement for over eight years and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, where her work focuses on understanding factors related to refugee and immigrant students' sense of belonging, wel-lbeing and success in the U.S. school system. First Name Basis Patreon members will receive free admission, or you can purchase a one-time Policy Party ticket at firstnamebasis.org/policyparty. If you can't attend the Policy Party, replays are also available with admission.    Check out our Thanksgiving resources Thanksgiving is next week, and we have a gaggle of free resources for you — including multiple episodes, sample letters to send your kiddos' teachers and resources you can use in your home! Want some ideas for how to talk to your kids' teachers about teaching Thanksgiving in an inclusive, Indigenous-centered way? Head to firstnamebasis.org/teachingthanksgiving for some sample letters and a free download that you can send to teachers to get the conversation going! Looking for ways to center Indigenous Peoples' in your family's Thanksgiving celebration? Head to firstnamebasis.org/thanksgiving to get some ideas sent straight to your inbox! Looking to learn more about how to celebrate Thanksgiving in a way that reflects the true history? Check out all of Thanksgiving episodes: Season 1, Episode 13: “The Untold Story of Thanksgiving” Season 1, Episode 14: “How to Teach Your Children About Thanksgiving” Season 4, Episode 13: “How to Center Indigenous Peoples During Thanksgiving”   Articles, Studies & Podcasts Referenced in the Episode Please note I am not linking Pedro's South of the Border because I do not want to drive traffic to their site. “This S.C. Roadside Attraction is Garish, Tacky and Un-PC — But I Stopped Anyway” by Maura Judkis, Washington Post  “The Pervasive Problem of ‘Linguistic Racism'”, BBC “The Reason You Discriminate Against Foreign Accents Starts With What They Do to Your Brain” by Michael Erard, Quartz “Everyone Has an Accent” by Walt Wolfram, Learning for Justice “Voices of North Carolina Dialect Awareness Curriculum”, North Carolina State University “What is Critical Language Awareness?” Annamend   Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN

Steve Jobs' last words were: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow." Oscar Wilde went with: "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do." (At least, that's how the story goes.) But the way most of us part company with language at the end of our lives is more halting and gradual. Even when a dying loved one is unable to speak clearly, other forms of communication often take over: noises, gestures, touch and eye contact. We have stories in this episode from a hospice nurse, from journalists covering mental health and internet culture, and from language writer Michael Erard who is writing a book about last words and their relationship to first words. Photo by Duncan C via Flickr/Creative Commons. Music by Dream Cave, Nylonia, Alexandra Woodward, Cobby Costa, August Wilhelmsson, David Celeste, Martin Landstrom, Gavin Luke, Rand Also, Airae, Alan Ellis, Jules Gaia. Read a transcript of this episode here.

Steve Jobs' last words were: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow." Oscar Wilde went with: "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do." (At least, that's how the story goes.) But the way most of us part company with language at the end of our lives is more halting and gradual. Even when a dying loved one is unable to speak clearly, other forms of communication often take over: noises, gestures, touch and eye contact. We have stories in this episode from a hospice nurse, from journalists covering mental health and internet culture, and from language writer Michael Erard who is writing a book about last words and their relationship to first words. Photo by Duncan C via Flickr/Creative Commons. Music by Dream Cave, Nylonia, Alexandra Woodward, Cobby Costa, August Wilhelmsson, David Celeste, Martin Landstrom, Gavin Luke, Rand Also, Airae, Alan Ellis, Jules Gaia. Read a transcript of this episode here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

With only a quick glance at today’s overheated political climate—the balkanized geography between red and blue states, the bombastic former president, the strident social media culture, all culminating in the recent attack on the U.S. Capitol—you get an unmistakable message: We don’t know how to talk with each other anymore, let alone build common ground. An expert in linguistics explores our new argumentative culture to find ways that Americans of different beliefs can start believing in each other again. "The Architecture of Trust", written by Michael Erard, originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You can find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and resources on our site. Written by MICHAEL ERARD Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA Narrated by MITCHELL GREENBERG Produced by CHRIS EGUSA Music by MIKE SNOWDEN OF “THE CIGAR BOX GUITAR MAKER”

Science and politics are not easy bedfellows - "Stick to the science" is a three part series which aims to find out why.In this episode we're asking how politics shapes the life of a working scientist. Be it through funding agendas, cultural lobbies or personal bias, there's a myriad of ways in which politics can shape the game; influencing the direction and quality of research, But what does this mean for the objective ideals of science?Tell us what you think of this series: https://go.nature.com/2HzXVLcThis episode was produced by Nick Howe, with editing from Noah Baker and Benjamin Thompson. it featured contributions from many people, including: Mayana Zatz, Shobita Parasarathy, Michael Erard, Peg AtKisson, Susannah Gal, Allen Rostron, Mark Rosenberg, and Alice Bell. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Emerging sign languages could reveal how all language evolved – but keeping these fragile languages isolated for research may mean the people who rely on them lose out. Written by Michael Erard. Read by Michael Regnier. Produced by Graihagh Jackson. iTunes itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/mosai…id964928211?mt=2 RSS mosaicscience.libsyn.com/rss To read this on our website, go to www.mosaicscience.com If you enjoyed this story, we recommend Why being bilingual helps keep your brain fit by Gaia Vince. 

In this bonus track for episode 37 with Michael Erard, we hear his story about the piano in the MPI basement, and people working at the institute tell us about their research and themselves. Featuring: Hans Rutger Bosker (https://www.mpi.nl/people/bosker-hans-rutger), Mark Dingemanse (https://www.mpi.nl/people/dingemanse-mark/), and Charlotte Horn.

I visit writer Michael Erard during his residency at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, Netherlands. We talk about the institute, his writing, the language of the dying and the expat experience.

La semaine dernière je vous ai donné la liste des 5 premiers livres aux Pouvoirs de Transformation. Dans ce nouvel épisode, on va voir la suite de cette liste ! Donc sans plus attendre, voici les 5 livres, qui selon moi, ont le pouvoir de changer bien des choses !   ››› Boostez votre mémoire gratuitement ››› http://bit.ly/2Hti80a   Liste des livres :  5/ « Babel No More » de Michael Erard 4/ « Découvrir un sens à sa vie » ViKtor Frankl 3/ « Aventure Au Coeur De La Mémoire » de Joshua Foer 2/ « La Part De L’Autre » de Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt 1/ « Shantaram » de Gregory David Roberts   ME SUIVRE :  — Site internet : http://superapprenant.com/ — Instagram : https://goo.gl/kZSwcN — Facebook : https://goo.gl/UJbWEc — Podcast : https://goo.gl/W3V7ma — Musique : https://goo.gl/1SMCvq — Contact : podcast@superapprenant.com  

When we stumble, misspeak, or fill our speech with um, er, and uh sounds, we are speaking with disfluencies. Michael Erard wrote a book on the subject called Um…: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean. Learn about what disfluencies are, their cultural perception, and why they may not be such a bad thing from Michael and Katie Gore of Speech IRL. Music in the episode was contributed by Podington Bear.

An article in the Guardian once asked, “Is Simon Rich the funniest man in America.” We ask him, “Are you?” His new book Spoiled Brats explores why the so-called millennial culture is easy to mock, especially by baby boomers. Plus, we ask linguist Michael Erard about the craft of metaphor design. He’s the author of Babel No More. For the Spiel, how Donald Trump’s doing us all a service. Today’s sponsors: The Great Courses, engaging audio and video lectures taught by top professors. Courses like “Scientific Secrets for a Powerful Memory.” Right now, get 80 percent off the original price when you visit thegreatcourses.com/gist. And by Citrix GoToMeeting. When meetings matter, millions choose GoToMeeting. Get a free 30-day trial by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Milan, Mario Batali, Michelle Obama, Moshe Safdie, Modernism, MOO (our sponsor), Michael Erard, metaphor design, Macintosh icons, Massimo Vignelli....

SUMMARYDo Americans use the same sign language as the Brits? And what do Japanese people use instead of "umm?" Grant and Martha cover language shifts across the globe. Plus, why we vote at polling places? And what goes into File 13? All this, plus a word quiz, commode vs toilet, saditty and bougie, and cute stuff that kids say!FULL DETAILSAll languages evolve, and sign language is no exception. The British Sign Language Corpus Project has collected footage of nearly 250 deaf people across the U.K. and noticed lots of changes, especially as the internet has made it easier for hearing-impaired people to sign to more people. For example, the sign for "French people" is no longer a stereotypical mustache twirl—it's now made with a sign for "rooster," the unofficial symbol of France. If you sign, let us know what changes you've seen!Why do some folks call the toilet a commode? Originally, the commode was a piece of furniture you'd put the chamberpot in. Today, commode is still a common term heard in the American South. Others, though, use the term commode to denote a kind of cabinet, causing confusion when journalists mistook reports of Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham taking a bribe in the form of a pair of antique commodes worth more than $7000. What do you call your porcelain throne?So, um, where do those, er, filler words come from? Discourse particles, as they're also known, are used to fill those gaps when we're thinking of what to say but don't want to lose our turn in a conversation. English isn't the only language that has them, either. Spanish speakers often use este, and in Japanese, it's eto. Michael Erard has written at length about the subject in his book Um . . .If you had to say the word telephone in sign language, you'd probably do the thumb and pinky to the head. In the past, though, it was one fist to the ear, one fist to the mouth—just like the old fashioned candlestick phone! The current sign, though, is still a bit skeuomorphic.Our Puzzle Guy John Chaneski has a game for all the idiom lovers out there. For each category, three letters match with different phrases. For example, name three things you can hold, starting with the letters C, G, and T. These are open-ended questions, so let us know if you think of more answers!If you're going to put something in File 13, is it headed to a) a top-secret folder, b) a Christmas stocking, or c) trash can? It's the trash! This term began in the 1940s during WWII as military slang, and by the late 60s had fully entered civilian speech. Other jocular expressions for the same thing include round file or circular file.It's tough to say what generation was best at sarcasm and snark, but the 50s made a good case with I Love Lucy. Charmed, I'm sure, one of those sugarcoated jabs used when meeting someone you're dubious about, was one of Ethel's hallmark lines. Of course, the phrase goes back to the 1850s. Long live sarcasm.A while back we talked about what English sounds like to those who don't speak it. Martha shares an evocative excerpt from Richard Rodriguez's memoir Hunger of Memory, where he describes the "high nasal notes of middle-class American speech."When politicians, authority figures, or bureaucrats ignore those who need help, they're said to be sitting high and looking low. This idiom, almost exclusive to the African-American community, goes back to 1970s. It's also used in a religious sense, where God is sitting high and looking low, meaning He takes care of the small things. But outside the context of religion, nobody ought to be sitting high and looking low.Some of the things kids say are so cute, it's a crime to correct them. Over time, they'll fix their pronunciations of callipitter, so enjoy those mistakes while they last. If you have a favorite little-kid mispronunciation, tell us!If someone uses American Sign Language, can they communicate with someone in Bolivia? Or France? Or even England? No! In fact, ASL derives from the French system in use in the early 19th century, and they're still 60% identical. British sign language, which arose independently, would be unintelligible to an American signer.Oh, those saditty chicks think they're all that, don't they? Saditty, or seditty, goes back to the 1940s, where it first appears in news articles from African-American publications, and applies primarily to women who think they're better than others. Bougie, as in bourgeois, has a similar use among African Americans.Plenty of lizards are scary looking, but that doesn't make them scorpions. Even so, there are places like Western Virginia where the word scorpion is used to refer to an lizard, such as the five-lined skink, known for its distinctive blue tail.Why do we vote at a polling place? Pol in Middle English simply meant head, and polls are the place where heads are counted. The Middle English word for head also gives us get polliwog, a young frog with a wiggly head, and tadpole, those toads and other little amphibians that for a while look like they're all head.These days, people are going to prom, in studio, and in hospital -- but there's no the in there! In plenty of dialects, it's common to drop such articles, and use anarthrous nouns, or nouns without articles.First I gave her peaches, then I gave her pears, then I gave her 50 cents and kissed her on the stairs. If you've got a children's rhyme to rival this gem, share it with us!This episode was hosted by Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette.....Support for A Way with Words comes from The Ken Blanchard Companies, celebrating 35 years of making a leadership difference with Situational Leadership II, the leadership model designed to boost effectiveness, impact, and employee engagement. More about how Blanchard can help your executives and organizational leaders at kenblanchard.com/leadership.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2014, Wayword LLC.

Do Americans use the same sign language as the Brits? And what do Japanese people use instead of "umm?" Grant and Martha cover language shifts across the globe. Plus, why we vote at polling places? And what goes into File 13? All this, plus a word quiz, commode vs toilet, saditty and bougie, and cute stuff that kids say!FULL DETAILSAll languages evolve, and sign language is no exception. The British Sign Language Corpus Project has collected footage of nearly 250 deaf people across the U.K. and noticed lots of changes, especially as the internet has made it easier for hearing-impaired people to sign to more people. For example, the sign for "French people" is no longer a stereotypical mustache twirl—it's now made with a sign for "rooster," the unofficial symbol of France. If you sign, let us know what changes you've seen!Why do some folks call the toilet a commode? Originally, the commode was a piece of furniture you'd put the chamberpot in. Today, commode is still a common term heard in the American South. Others, though, use the term commode to denote a kind of cabinet, causing confusion when journalists mistook reports of Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham taking a bribe in the form of a pair of antique commodes worth more than $7000. What do you call your porcelain throne?So, um, where do those, er, filler words come from? Discourse particles, as they're also known, are used to fill those gaps when we're thinking of what to say but don't want to lose our turn in a conversation. English isn't the only language that has them, either. Spanish speakers often use este, and in Japanese, it's eto. Michael Erard has written at length about the subject in his book Um . . .If you had to say the word telephone in sign language, you'd probably do the thumb and pinky to the head. In the past, though, it was one fist to the ear, one fist to the mouth—just like the old fashioned candlestick phone! The current sign, though, is still a bit skeuomorphic.Our Puzzle Guy John Chaneski has a game for all the idiom lovers out there. For each category, three letters match with different phrases. For example, name three things you can hold, starting with the letters C, G, and T. These are open-ended questions, so let us know if you think of more answers!If you're going to put something in File 13, is it headed to a) a top-secret folder, b) a Christmas stocking, or c) trash can? It's the trash! This term began in the 1940s during WWII as military slang, and by the late 60s had fully entered civilian speech. Other jocular expressions for the same thing include round file or circular file.It's tough to say what generation was best at sarcasm and snark, but the 50s made a good case with I Love Lucy. Charmed, I'm sure, one of those sugarcoated jabs used when meeting someone you're dubious about, was one of Ethel's hallmark lines. Of course, the phrase goes back to the 1850s. Long live sarcasm.A while back we talked about what English sounds like to those who don't speak it. Martha shares an evocative excerpt from Richard Rodriguez's memoir Hunger of Memory, where he describes the "high nasal notes of middle-class American speech."When politicians, authority figures, or bureaucrats ignore those who need help, they're said to be sitting high and looking low. This idiom, almost exclusive to the African-American community, goes back to 1970s. It's also used in a religious sense, where God is sitting high and looking low, meaning He takes care of the small things. But outside the context of religion, nobody ought to be sitting high and looking low.Some of the things kids say are so cute, it's a crime to correct them. Over time, they'll fix their pronunciations of callipitter, so enjoy those mistakes while they last. If you have a favorite little-kid mispronunciation, tell us!If someone uses American Sign Language, can they communicate with someone in Bolivia? Or France? Or even England? No! In fact, ASL derives from the French system in use in the early 19th century, and they're still 60% identical. British sign language, which arose independently, would be unintelligible to an American signer.Oh, those saditty chicks think they're all that, don't they? Saditty, or seditty, goes back to the 1940s, where it first appears in news articles from African-American publications, and applies primarily to women who think they're better than others. Bougie, as in bourgeois, has a similar use among African Americans.Plenty of lizards are scary looking, but that doesn't make them scorpions. Even so, there are places like Western Virginia where the word scorpion is used to refer to an lizard, such as the five-lined skink, known for its distinctive blue tail.Why do we vote at a polling place? Pol in Middle English simply meant head, and polls are the place where heads are counted. The Middle English word for head also gives us get polliwog, a young frog with a wiggly head, and tadpole, those toads and other little amphibians that for a while look like they're all head.These days, people are going to prom, in studio, and in hospital -- but there's no the in there! In plenty of dialects, it's common to drop such articles, and use anarthrous nouns, or nouns without articles.First I gave her peaches, then I gave her pears, then I gave her 50 cents and kissed her on the stairs. If you've got a children's rhyme to rival this gem, share it with us!This episode was hosted by Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette.....Support for A Way with Words also comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. More at http://www.nu.edu/.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2013, Wayword LLC.

Do Americans use the same sign language as the Brits? And what do Japanese people use instead of "umm?" Grant and Martha cover language shifts across the globe. Plus, why we vote at polling places? And what goes into File 13? All this, plus a word quiz, commode vs toilet, saditty and bougie, and cute stuff that kids say!FULL DETAILSAll languages evolve, and sign language is no exception. The British Sign Language Corpus Project has collected footage of nearly 250 deaf people across the U.K. and noticed lots of changes, especially as the internet has made it easier for hearing-impaired people to sign to more people. For example, the sign for "French people" is no longer a stereotypical mustache twirl—it's now made with a sign for "rooster," the unofficial symbol of France. If you sign, let us know what changes you've seen!Why do some folks call the toilet a commode? Originally, the commode was a piece of furniture you'd put the chamberpot in. Today, commode is still a common term heard in the American South. Others, though, use the term commode to denote a kind of cabinet, causing confusion when journalists mistook reports of Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham taking a bribe in the form of a pair of antique commodes worth more than $7000. What do you call your porcelain throne?So, um, where do those, er, filler words come from? Discourse particles, as they're also known, are used to fill those gaps when we're thinking of what to say but don't want to lose our turn in a conversation. English isn't the only language that has them, either. Spanish speakers often use este, and in Japanese, it's eto. Michael Erard has written at length about the subject in his book Um . . .If you had to say the word telephone in sign language, you'd probably do the thumb and pinky to the head. In the past, though, it was one fist to the ear, one fist to the mouth—just like the old fashioned candlestick phone! The current sign, though, is still a bit skeuomorphic.Our Puzzle Guy John Chaneski has a game for all the idiom lovers out there. For each category, three letters match with different phrases. For example, name three things you can hold, starting with the letters C, G, and T. These are open-ended questions, so let us know if you think of more answers!If you're going to put something in File 13, is it headed to a) a top-secret folder, b) a Christmas stocking, or c) trash can? It's the trash! This term began in the 1940s during WWII as military slang, and by the late 60s had fully entered civilian speech. Other jocular expressions for the same thing include round file or circular file.It's tough to say what generation was best at sarcasm and snark, but the 50s made a good case with I Love Lucy. Charmed, I'm sure, one of those sugarcoated jabs used when meeting someone you're dubious about, was one of Ethel's hallmark lines. Of course, the phrase goes back to the 1850s. Long live sarcasm.A while back we talked about what English sounds like to those who don't speak it. Martha shares an evocative excerpt from Richard Rodriguez's memoir Hunger of Memory, where he describes the "high nasal notes of middle-class American speech."When politicians, authority figures, or bureaucrats ignore those who need help, they're said to be sitting high and looking low. This idiom, almost exclusive to the African-American community, goes back to 1970s. It's also used in a religious sense, where God is sitting high and looking low, meaning He takes care of the small things. But outside the context of religion, nobody ought to be sitting high and looking low.Some of the things kids say are so cute, it's a crime to correct them. Over time, they'll fix their pronunciations of callipitter, so enjoy those mistakes while they last. If you have a favorite little-kid mispronunciation, tell us!If someone uses American Sign Language, can they communicate with someone in Bolivia? Or France? Or even England? No! In fact, ASL derives from the French system in use in the early 19th century, and they're still 60% identical. British sign language, which arose independently, would be unintelligible to an American signer.Oh, those saditty chicks think they're all that, don't they? Saditty, or seditty, goes back to the 1940s, where it first appears in news articles from African-American publications, and applies primarily to women who think they're better than others. Bougie, as in bourgeois, has a similar use among African Americans.Plenty of lizards are scary looking, but that doesn't make them scorpions. Even so, there are places like Western Virginia where the word scorpion is used to refer to an lizard, such as the five-lined skink, known for its distinctive blue tail.Why do we vote at a polling place? Pol in Middle English simply meant head, and polls are the place where heads are counted. The Middle English word for head also gives us get polliwog, a young frog with a wiggly head, and tadpole, those toads and other little amphibians that for a while look like they're all head.These days, people are going to prom, in studio, and in hospital -- but there's no the in there! In plenty of dialects, it's common to drop such articles, and use anarthrous nouns, or nouns without articles.First I gave her peaches, then I gave her pears, then I gave her 50 cents and kissed her on the stairs. If you've got a children's rhyme to rival this gem, share it with us!This episode was hosted by Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette.....Support for A Way with Words also comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. More at http://www.nu.edu/.And from The Ken Blanchard Companies, whose purpose is to make a leadership difference among executives, managers, and individuals in organizations everywhere. More about Ken Blanchard's leadership training programs at kenblanchard.com/leadership.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2012, Wayword LLC.

Ever drop a reference that just makes you sound, well, of a certain age? Grant and Martha discuss slang that's often lost on a younger or older generation. Why is the entree the main course? Shouldn't it come first? And why is the letter k silent in knot and knight? Plus, the right way to say the, a remedy for the superstition of splitting the pole, names for the toes straight from Mother Goose, the difference between finished and done, and a special word quiz for all you zombie fans!FULL DETAILSEver drop a reference that just makes you sound old? Are you using outdated slang? Changes in pop culture and lax speech are always marking the generational gap, from the sitcom characters we love to the way we say something's cool. The "Doogie Howser" scene in the movie 50/50 is a perfect example.http://www.metacafe.com/watch/mv-dtg3j/doogie_howser/What's the difference between done and finished? If you've completed something, are you done? Or are you finished? Grant and Martha contend that there's no historical evidence to suggest a difference between the two, although finished is slightly more formal. Why are main courses called entrees in the US? Why isn't the entree the first course of a meal? In 19th Century Britain, the entree came after a course of soup or fish, but before the main portion of the meal, such as a boar's head. Over time, the main course converged into one course, but the name entree stuck. If it's ten of five, what time is it? Is it the same as ten till five? Why, yes it is! Ten of five, or ten till five, are both appropriate ways to say 4:50. Grant and Martha share some more terms that make a person sound old-fashioned these days. Ever get a blank stare when you mention the icebox? Our Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a zombiefied puzzle called Dead Reckoning. What's the problem with putting zombies in the legislature? A deadlocked government!How do you pronounce garage? Does it rhyme with "barrage," or do you say it like the British so it rhymes with "carriage"? The variations abound, and they all work, so long as we know what you're talking about.There's a rule for the pronunciation of the word the. If it's followed by a word whose first letter is a vowel, sticklers say it should be pronounced like "thee," as in, thee end. If followed by a consonant, it rhymes with "duh," as in the dog. That's thuh long and thuh short of it.Some outdated words wind up coming back in cheeky and ironic ways. For example, kids these days likely know groovy from Austin Powers, not from the flower children. It's a common superstition: do not split a pole. That is, if two people are walking down the street, they shouldn't each walk around a different side of a lamppost, telephone pole, or mailbox. But if they do, there's a remedy: just say bread and butter! There's an old Merrie Melodies cartoon of panthers doing that (at minute 5:42).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uow_6qbssCcAnd of course, there's a Facebook page devoted to keeping poles whole.http://on.fb.me/pkMcmyThere's a story going around about a 19th Century priest named Giuseppe Mezzofanti who claimed to speak forty to fifty languages. Hyperpolyglots, or those who speak six or more languages fluently, offer some key insights into learnings language. Michael Erard chronicles all this in his linguistic cliffhanger, Babel No More: The Search for Extraordinary Language Learners. http://bit.ly/lz1FOkIs there a term for the way words feel when they're spoken that has nothing to do with their meaning? The word suitcase feels nice to say, unlike rural. Cellar door certainly has a different quality than moist ointment. Mouthfeel is an oft-noted concept. But in his book Alphabet Juice, Roy Blount Jr. says of his favorite term to enunciate: polyurethane foam. His reason? "It's just so sayable." http://www.waywordradio.org/a-conversation-with-roy-blount-jr/Depending on what generation you're from, "Get your rubbers!" could mean put on your galoshes. Or it could mean something else!Did we ever pronounce the "k" sound in the words knot or know? The now-silent k underwent apheresis, from Greek meaning "to take off." In olden days, the word knight also had an initial-k sound, and a "kin-not" was the thing you tie. But nowadays, as Blount would say, the k in knot is silent, "like the p in swimming." At one time, a boner was a mistake. And now, it's--you know. Beware of that outdated usage, grownups!Do our toes have names? Mother Goose and Scandinavian nursery rhymes gave us variants of Tom Pumpkin, Long Larkin, Betty Pringle, Johnny Jingle, and Little Dick. Sounds cooler than big toe, no?http://bit.ly/o3JieGWhat dessert would you serve a baseball player? Why, a bundt cake, of course!....Support for A Way with Words comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. We're also grateful for support from the University of San Diego. Since 1949, USD has been on a mission not only to prepare students for the world, but also to change it. Learn more about the college and five schools of this nationally ranked, independent Catholic university at http://sandiego.edu.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2012, Wayword LLC.

SUMMARYEver drop a reference that just makes you sound, well, of a certain age? Grant and Martha discuss language that's often lost on a younger or older generation. Why is the entree the main course? Shouldn't it come first? And why is the letter k silent in knot and knight? Plus, the right way to say the, a remedy for the superstition of splitting the pole, names for the toes straight from Mother Goose, the difference between finished and done, and a special word quiz for all you zombie fans!FULL DETAILSEver drop a reference that just makes you sound old? Are you using outdated slang? Changes in pop culture and lax speech are always marking the generational gap, from the sitcom characters we love to the way we say something's cool. The "Doogie Howser" scene in the movie 50/50 is a perfect example.http://www.metacafe.com/watch/mv-dtg3j/doogie_howser/What's the difference between done and finished? If you've completed something, are you done? Or are you finished? Grant and Martha contend that there's no historical evidence to suggest a difference between the two, although finished is slightly more formal. Why are main courses called entrees in the US? Why isn't the entree the first course of a meal? In 19th Century Britain, the entree came after a course of soup or fish, but before the main portion of the meal, such as a boar's head. Over time, the main course converged into one course, but the name entree stuck. If it's ten of five, what time is it? Is it the same as ten till five? Why, yes it is! Ten of five, or ten till five, are both appropriate ways to say 4:50. Grant and Martha share some more terms that make a person sound old-fashioned these days. Ever get a blank stare when you mention the icebox? Our Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a zombiefied puzzle called Dead Reckoning. What's the problem with putting zombies in the legislature? A deadlocked government!How do you pronounce garage? Does it rhyme with "barrage," or do you say it like the British so it rhymes with "carriage"? The variations abound, and they all work, so long as we know what you're talking about.There's a rule for the pronunciation of the word the. If it's followed by a word whose first letter is a vowel, sticklers say it should be pronounced like "thee," as in, thee end. If followed by a consonant, it rhymes with "duh," as in the dog. That's thuh long and thuh short of it.Some outdated words wind up coming back in cheeky and ironic ways. For example, kids these days likely know groovy from Austin Powers, not from the flower children. It's a common superstition: do not split a pole. That is, if two people are walking down the street, they shouldn't each walk around a different side of a lamppost, telephone pole, or mailbox. But if they do, there's a remedy: just say bread and butter! There's an old Merrie Melodies cartoon of panthers doing that (at minute 5:42).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uow_6qbssCcAnd of course, there's a Facebook page devoted to keeping poles whole.http://on.fb.me/pkMcmyThere's a story going around about a 19th Century priest named Giuseppe Mezzofanti who claimed to speak forty to fifty languages. Hyperpolyglots, or those who speak six or more languages fluently, offer some key insights into learnings language. Michael Erard chronicles all this in his linguistic cliffhanger, Babel No More: The Search for Extraordinary Language Learners. http://bit.ly/lz1FOkIs there a term for the way words feel when they're spoken that has nothing to do with their meaning? The word suitcase feels nice to say, unlike rural. Cellar door certainly has a different quality than moist ointment. Mouthfeel is an oft-noted concept. But in his book Alphabet Juice, Roy Blount Jr. says of his favorite term to enunciate: polyurethane foam. His reason? "It's just so sayable." http://www.waywordradio.org/a-conversation-with-roy-blount-jr/Depending on what generation you're from, "Get your rubbers!" could mean put on your galoshes. Or it could mean something else!Did we ever pronounce the "k" sound in the words knot or know? The now-silent k underwent apheresis, from Greek meaning "to take off." In olden days, the word knight also had an initial-k sound, and a "kin-not" was the thing you tie. But nowadays, as Blount would say, the k in knot is silent, "like the p in swimming." At one time, a boner was a mistake. And now, it's--you know. Beware of that outdated usage, grownups!Do our toes have names? Mother Goose and Scandinavian nursery rhymes gave us variants of Tom Pumpkin, Long Larkin, Betty Pringle, Johnny Jingle, and Little Dick. Sounds cooler than big toe, no?http://bit.ly/o3JieGWhat dessert would you serve a baseball player? Why, a bundt cake, of course!--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC.

Conversations LIVE! talks with author Michael Erard about his new book UM and how words have gotten even some of the most well-spoken individuals in trouble.