Podcasts about says who

Hey Sayswhovia! It is hot and it is bad and Maureen and Dan are here to help (???) you through it. And hey, as bad as things are, at least you're not Dan, whose teeth keep falling out.   Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Welcome back to regular Says Who service as Dan's schedule starts to regulate. And good things are happening! Maureen is sewing and making froyo. Dan and Son of Dan made a video game controller out of garbage! That's great! And there's a bill! A big, monster of a bill, slouching toward the House. Trump and Elon are fighting again, and we finally made our first concentration camp. USA!So let's talk about demons, tiny crocheted babies, and a hot new show that's going to change everything.Please take your seats, Says Whovia. Our flight to nowhere is about to take off, but we are on it together. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It sure is hot out there, SaysWhovia. Especially in NYC, where Maureen has been out voting. Dan has thoughts on this, because he always has thoughts on New York and the mayor situation. This all turns out to be about sandwiches. Also, war! Maureen makes dog food!Wear sunscreen, SaysWhovia. Conditions are warming up. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Dan had a genuinely rough week, SaysWhovia. We're going to have a relaxing episode with some pudding and a nice parade. A big parade. Huge. And maybe an old friend will come and sing us a song.Let's take care of each other, SaysWhovia, and let's have some pudding. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Everything is going great SaysWhovia. Maureen's brain is shorting out as her deadline grows near, the recording connection keeps freezing up, and Elon's popping 20 pills a day. Oh also, he has a black eye. And is definitely not high.It's fine. Everything's fine.Wolfy's!  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's been a messy start to today, SayWhovia. Literally. But we're going to get through it together. Because this week, we have a delicious meal to serve up, straight from the best kitchens of the Trump golf courses. Or, from a kitchen of a Trump golf course. Come learn about the new grift!And if you feel like you're in too deep, Dan and Maureen will send one of the new Eric Adams lifeguard drones. It won't save you—but it will soothe you.Come sit down, SaysWhovia. It's time to eat. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Dan was in New York over the weekend and Maureen wanted to give him a window into authentic NYC living by taking him to The Friends Experience. Yes, the TV show that Dan has never seen. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Says Who 56-03-16

Maureen is in Philadelphia, enjoying the greenery and the ticks. Dan is in Chicago, enjoying his basement. And tariffs. Yes, it's Tariff Talking Time! How do you put a tariff on a movie? We're about to find out maybe!Also, If you've been planning on getting into hacking, now is a great time. The US is operating on tutorial level. Now you too can read state secrets!Everything is generally smart and good and running well.Stock up on fireworks and get over here, SaysWhovia. We're going to read some texts! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Dan and Maureen think you need a break. They want to talk to you about some good television and games. Give your mind a rest. Renew yourself. Also, Trump and Elon are taking a break, so there's the tie in! Also, Maureen wants to take Dan to the Friends Experience and explain to him what “we were on a break!” is about! He has no idea!Also, tariffs! Canada! And beans!So much about beans.Sit down, SaysWhovia. Grab a fork. Maureen's cooking up a pot of something oblong and high in protein! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

This week, Dan and Maureen are joined by Akilah Hughes to talk about…something. Akilah and Dan definitely want to talk about something, but they're being so cagey about it.VOTE REBEL SPIRIT here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/diversity-equity-inclusion-belongingAnd preorder The Creeping Hand Murder here: https://www.mysteriousbookshop.com/products/maureen-johnson-jay-cooper-you-are-the-detective-the-creeping-hand-murder-preorder-signed?_pos=2&_sid=266ae0085&_ss=r  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's Tariff Time over in SaysWhovia! Let's all celebrate the return of American manufacturing, which is absolutely going to happen.Also, please help Dan. He is not okay. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

We don't know what the Day of Liberation holds for the economy, but obviously it's going to be great. Right now, Cory Booker is still talking, health services are shutting down, and it's maybe too much to take in in one bite. Small bites, SaysWhovia. Share the load. Work in shifts. Take a walk. Come to Maureen's for dinner. She can stretch a lentil.Grab a spoon, SaysWhovia. It's time to eat! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Check your phone, SaysWhovia. You're in the groupchat.  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

SaysWhovia, you have no idea how deep this one goes. Hang on. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Whoooo, there is a lot going on. It's not great! Maureen got distracted and put her phone in the wash. She is maybe not okay. Also, she has fallen in love with a puppet. Dan swings in with the news, which isn't all bad. There are a lot of Teslas on fire! But also, there is a lot of bad. But don't worry. Something truly magical happens near the end that Dan really, really loves.Let your horse get a drink out in the barn and pull up a seat here at the bar, partner. We're drinking XXX out of our boots. Come meet the Sheriff of SaysWhovia. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

This week, Teslas are burning, no one is sleeping right, everything is falling apart, and Dan is…weirdly optimistic? Well, he's invented something new, anyway. Also, Maureen loves Guy's Grocery Games.Hop in, SaysWhovia! It's only sort of on fire! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's a new week in these new times, and you know what that means: MORE BULLSHIT! But in the middle of the chaos, there is a light! People are striking back! It's time for some delicious sabotage. Everyone is welcome to participate! Or perhaps you, dear SaysWhovian, would like to run DOGE? Opportunities abound.Yes, it is bad, but people are doing the work. Take heart. Play bingo. Break their stuff.Come on, SaysWhovia. Let's go find some Teslas. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Somehow, SaysWhovia, we are still in the first month of this thing. Everything happens so much all the time now. But hark! Does Dan here clown goings-on in New York City? He does. Which means that it's time to talk to Maureen about her home, the Greatest City In The World, the one with the clown crime mayor, the magic rocks, the rats, the endless construction, and the newest invention—the trash can. Because if Dan can't clown on New York, then what CAN he do?Chicago has news too. Chicago has better news, Dan wants Maureen to know.Meanwhile…everything. But, this is about coping! Let's get together and get a big green tower! Join us! Come in from the cold!Hold hands and stay together at all times, SaysWhovia. There be dragons. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

OK, so yeah, things could be better. Elon's little fash dipshits are running around, and it sure does seem like America is coming to an end, but Maureen has a new boyfriend!  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Apparently it's been a week?  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Sayswhovians! Yes, Trump was inaugurated again this week. Yes, Elon Musk threw up a nazi salute. Yes, everything has gone to full shitshow very quickly. And yes, Maureen is sick.But, she's hopped up on just enough of the good drugs to record an impromptu episode with Dan this afternoon after they had to cancel their regularly schedule one due to illness.So, hello, it is a new era. It sucks. We are glad you are with us. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

There's a lot going on, SaysWhovia. While Dan and Maureen will get into some of it (with appropriate content markers around one subject so you can listen safety!)—they spend a lot of time in the land of dissociation, where the main subjects are radio jingles, cigarettes, and weird birds. On this ground, we will build our city.We got this, SaysWhovia. We'll stick together. Don't get frannick. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Gather close, SaysWhovia. Dan and Maureen have built a shelter. It's made of blankets and pillows. Come in and hide with us. Oh, except Dan is back reading the news again. A lot of it is bad! But also, Rudy is in a lot of trouble, so that is nice. We can enjoy that. Also, let's play “which former Trump flunkies are the most nervous right now?"But also, let's get serious about the compound. WHO WANTS TO LIVE IN A TRAIN STATION?Choo choo! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Anne Curzan – University of Michigan linguistics professor, podcast host, and author of Says Who? A Kinder Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words – returns to the podcast to talk about how William Shakespeare is used as a source for the origins of hundreds of words, as well as inspiration for a playful approach to language. Anne discusses the unprecedented speed with which language travels and changes today; how slang is "the people's poetry;" an unconventional definition of the word expert; how “it's even in Shakespeare!” can serve as classroom legitimization; the British and American distinctions between collective nouns; and how Shakespeare might have been the TikTok of his day. (Length 22:02) The post Shakespeare's Language Playfulness appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

*party blower* Welcome to 2025, SaysWhovia! Let's go into this together, the third Trump era, full of LOVE and TOGETHERNESS and BINGO.Yes. It's time to play bingo. And make space.Get your cards ready. Let's do this one together. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Behind me at the coffee shop stands a man in a gray shirt with white letters. “Anti human,” reads the top line. “Pro dog,” completes the bottom.I almost laugh. I want to be the type of invested dog person who can still chuckle at jokes meant to be benign; who friends don't hesitate to send viral animal videos out of fear I'll latch onto questionable body language; who is not, in short, a killjoy. It is a funny shirt if you take it in the right way, only a few steps removed from “tell your dog I say hi” (we saw that bumper sticker yesterday) and on par with “dogs welcome, people tolerated” (the doormat of pet stores and vet clinics across the country).But this year more than any other I've committed to seeing the ties between human and animal welfare. You can't be anti human and pro dog, not really, because domestic dogs evolved specifically to live with people. Their success is tied to ours at the grand scale (they live everywhere we do, their population has grown with ours) and at the minute (the better off a given pet owner, the better off their animals).I was first exposed to this idea of “helping people helps pets” in Bronwen Dickey's Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon. Nearly three years after I read Dickey's allusions to a broken rescue system, Carol Mithers more clearly sketched the landscape of saviorism in Rethinking Rescue. “Animals in shelters don't necessarily belong to humans who didn't love them, but to those who lacked resources, chiefly money,” she insists in the book's introduction. “There's a difference between protecting animals and blaming humans without resources for failing to care for them.”When I read “anti human, pro dog” I think of well-intentioned but misguided rescue workers who tear beloved pets from people without housing. I think of shelter biographies that invent stories of abuse and neglect to make surrendered animals more adoptable. I think of my past self vilifying strangers to retain a sense of moral high ground when all I actually stood upon was compounded harm.“Sis, it's not that deep,” I imagine a Gen Z-er somewhere scoffing. Maybe it's not. Maybe some of us are “anti human, pro dog” because we think puppies are better than people in a pure way. Certainly this was the intent of whoever designed the shirt in question—I doubt they were trying to say “humans are the cause of all worldly woes and do not deserve our support.” They just wanted to signal “I'd rather be around my dog than these strangers out in public.”I relate to that particular sentiment. Left to my own devices, I do prefer the company of nonhuman animals over that of most people, and I don't think there's anything wrong with me. Humans (like domestic dogs!) have a remarkable ability to form bonds with different species. We're also individuals with our own experiences. I regularly function through a haze of social anxiety, and connecting with living beings who aren't people—and therefore can't hold me to confusing and overwhelming and contradictory standards of modern human interaction—feels liberating.But “I'm often more comfortable around animals” is not the same as “I am anti human.” I understand that people are necessary to care for this other dependent species I love—and I recognize that humans have inherent value of our own. I am a social member of a social species, and the sense of community that gets me through so many days (even when I feel it most intensely with Scout) would fundamentally not exist without human support.“Anti human, pro dog.” It's just a shirt. I assume I have a hell of a lot in common with the guy wearing it. (Although I don't quite laugh before retreating to my corner table to write these thoughts, I do smile in his direction.) But I wouldn't wear the slogan myself. “When people say, ‘It's just words' as a way to dismiss the power of language, you should be suspicious,” writes Anne Curzan on page 34 of Says Who? “Words often have consequences,” she says.Maybe I'll get a shirt printed with that. Get full access to Paws and Reflect at www.pawsandreflect.blog/subscribe

2024 is coming to an end. What a year! It started with…Um…Maureen remembers something about a scorpion. Dan was in his car. Trump got shot when it was hot out? Something, something, something. And now we're here? Why can't we remember? Let's take a look back at the year our brains made us forget!Don't look back, SaysWhovia. The Doom Buggy doesn't go in reverse. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

There's a chill in the air, SaysWhovia! We've entered the holiday season! Everyone is out on the streets, bustling about in their coats and hats, carrying their bags—their holiday shopping! Their groceries for holiday meals! Their manifestos!Yes. Dan and Maureen are going to talk about our strange National Catharsis, the surreal week in which an assassin named Luigi left clues all over NYC and the NYPD took a walk in the park. And somehow, it always comes back to McDonalds.  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's the week after Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season. Maureen is still in Philadelphia and she is…That's the whole sentence. She is. Dan is concerned. But Maureen has a plan. She's found a great organization to join and she'd like to tell everyone about it. Dan is unconvinced.Dan wants to talk about the news, which is also not a good idea. But it's time, perhaps, to wade into these dark and fetid waters. At least we can begin with something nice—Rudy is on trial and he's having a terrible time. He's been under the bus for a while now, and he may never come out. Dan walks us through the rogues gallery of weirdo and sycophants that will make up our new government, but time and time again we must return to the question: why didn't Rudy make the cut? Have you *seen* these people? Come. We will meet them together. And we will watch the wheels on the bus go round and round over Rudy.We've put out warm blankets, SaysWhovia, and there is hot chocolate to go around. Come cope with us. And maybe you'd like to try these new supplements. And this raw milk. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Pull up a chair, SaysWhovia! The Thanksgiving feast is about to begin! It's all going well. Well, maybe Dan has too many jobs. And maybe Maureen is a bit fried. And maybe things aren't as great as they could be. But we have each other. We have Stanley tumblers. And we have the Great American Fridgescape.Gobble, gobble. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Welcome SaysWhovia. Sit down with us on the porch here. Grab a cushion or a blanket. Settle in. We're going to PROCESS.Let's do it together! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

SaysWhovians, it's a different kind of Says Who episode for a different kind of day. Join Dan and Maureen for election day at Disneyland. Told in chronological order from the sunny start of the day to an end seemingly spinning into oblivion. Ride rides, go on walks, spend some time with Maureen and Dan. Nothing can stop us now.  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

SaysWhovians! It's the THIRD Trump election we've spent together. Buckle up buttercup. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's here, SaysWhovia. Please drive through.  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Linguist, writer, and professor Anne Curzan joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how language is constantly changing—and how that's okay. Curzan talks about how, in her work as an English language historian, she's learned that people have always been critical of usage changes; Ben Franklin, for instance, didn't care for colonize as a verb. But, Curzan explains, as much as “grammandos” bemoan the evolution of language, it can't be stopped—singular “they,” “funnest,” and “very unique” are here to stay. Curzan reads from her book, Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Language. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf. Anne Curzan Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words “‘They' has been a singular pronoun for centuries. Don't let anyone tell you it's wrong.” | October 21, 2021 | The Washington Post Others: Grammando Declaration of Independence Dreyer's English: And Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White Fiction/Non/Fiction Season: One Episode, 12: “C. Riley Snorton and T Fleischmann Talk Gender, Freedom, and Transitivity” Antonin Scalia  Will Shortz Maxine Hong Kingston The American Heritage Dictionary Urban Dictionary Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The musical episode you've been waiting for (???) is finally here. Let's break down the playlist of DJ T.Get ready to dance, SaysWhovia. Very slowly. Very, very slowly. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Maureen's coming in from the Big Apple. The big, extremely wormy apple. The one where everyone who runs it has been arrested for criming. Dan is showing remarkable restraint. Also, before getting to the news, Maureen discusses the Big Grift of late stage capitalism: the subscription.But then, on to more news. Like politicians doing more criming! Donald Trump gets in with some crypto bros and enters the Bible business, which is the most sense 2024 has ever made.This devolves into WHO WILL WIN, as we are now LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY from our great national nightmare, the 2024 election. And it's a squeaker. So it's back to talking Disney and Stanley Cup accessories.Keep your hand on your wallet, SaysWhovia. It's Stanktown. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

October 07, 2024 Discussion on the book "Says Who?" by Anne Curzan by Dr. Farid Holakouee

It was a long night. It is over. Maureen and Dan try and sort it out.  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

We're nine years old! We did it! Dan cannot believe it. He really, really can't. He also can't believe that someone ELSE tried to kill Trump. They were gonna kill that guy! But he didn't. He was just your average weirdo with an AR-15 in a bush at a Florida golf course. And no one seems to care very much? Even Trump? It's another normal day in America! Speaking of normal things and Trump, he's also gotten into crypto! Neither Dan or Maureen can believe he's taken this long to get involved. We are very close to the 2024 election and this is where we're at.But this week is about new starts as well. Will Maureen start a new planner? Will she learn to balance her life? Will she stop talking about Stanley cups? What is social media in 2024? And what happened that one time Dan tried to buy a car? YOU ARE NOT EXPECTING WHAT COMES NEXT.Blow out the candles, Says Who! Here's to nine more years! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's September! Dan and Maureen are back! SCHOOL IS IN SESSION.What did they do on their summer vacation? They certainly went many places. Mostly, though, they miss dangerous playgrounds. Ones with tall, metal slides and things that spin and vats of broken glass. Yay! What happened while they were traveling the world? Weird stuff! Really, really weird stuff! Trump brought NFTs back, RFK got a whale head, JD Vance tried to shake a human fist. Stuff like that!Now that it's fall, it's time to prepare for next week's debate, the last eight weeks of this weird, weird election, and a trip to Disney! Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's the height of summer! Dan's on the road, coming in from a Colorado hotel room. Maureen is about to head out on the road on her (somewhat delayed) US tour and then a UK tour! It's travel season! And it's been three weeks since the 2024 Presidential race turned upside-down. And Trump is taking it maturely and well, and by that we mean that he has gone back to Twitter because no one is looking at him with the same googly-eyed stare that he used to get. And his crowd size is FINE. It's GREAT. It's the MOST THAT HAS EVER CROWDED. It's not all he cares about, but it is about 99.9% of what he cares about.He needs a coping strategy. We know of one.Meanwhile, Biden is coasting in his last semester, so Maureen and Dan have ideas about what he could be doing to have a RAD SUMMER. Speaking of RAD SUMMERS, Says Who will be off for the next two weeks while Maureen and Dan go about their travels. But don't worry. Nothing ever happens when they're gone.Nothing can go wrong now, SaysWhovia. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Look, we're going to talk about Tim Walz, but Maureen has a book out and has COVID and is writing this notes.  Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

Maureen is sick, Dan is tired, but there's no stopping the vibe shift that has swept the nation with Biden dropping out and Kamala Harris speed-running her new candidacy. But most importantly, Democrats are finally saying the thing that Maureen and Dan have been saying all along: Trump and his goons are all deeply, deeply weird people.Also, JD Vance f*cks a couch.Welcome to the new presidential race, jump on in the water's warm. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

It's been one week.One.Week. Says Who is made possible by you, through your support of our Patreon at patreon.com/sayswho

On this long holiday weekend, some recent book interviews:Nicholas Kristof, opinion columnist for The New York Times and author of several books, including a new memoir, Chasing Hope (Penguin Random House, 2024), reflects on his long career covering tough stories, including war, genocide and addiction, and explains how he remains optimistic despite it all.Luis A. Miranda, Jr. , founder of the political consulting firm MirRam, founding president of the Hispanic Federation and the author of Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit that is Transforming America (Hachette Books, 2024), shares his story of his life and work in NYC politics (and as the father of Lin Manuel).Richard Ocejo, professor of sociology at John Jay College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, and the author of Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City (Princeton University Press, 2024), examines the effect on racial and income balance in the Hudson Valley's Newburgh, NY, of an influx of wealthier remote workers from NYC and its suburbs.Now facing a diagnosis of ALS, Dan Doctoroff, founder and chairman of the research foundation Target ALS, former president and CEO of Bloomberg LP and Sidewalk Labs, New York City deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding (2002-2007) and the subject of The Urbanist: Dan Doctoroff and the Rise of New York (Phaidon, 2024), looks about his impact on the City after 9/11 under Mayor Bloomberg and the new book that celebrates his achievements.Anne Curzan, University of Michigan professor of English language and literature, linguistics, and education and the author of Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words (Crown, 2024), offers her guide to English usage, where the 'rules' started and how to use them. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity and the original web versions are available here:Nicholas Kristof's Optimism (May 15, 2024)Luis Miranda's 'Latino Spirit' (May 7, 2024)When Gentrification Leaves the City (May 30, 2024)Dan Doctoroff's New York (Apr 18, 2024)A 'Funner' Guide to Language Usage (Mar 26, 2024)

Anne Curzan is a professional word nerd. As a linguist and English professor, Anne studies the history of the English language — and how public attitudes about words shift over time. Adam and Anne geek out over whether the grammar rules you learned in school are justified, why some language peeves are (or aren't) worth holding onto, and confess what they're learning from Gen-Z slang. Anne's latest book, Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide For Everyone Who Cares About Words, is out now.Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts

Have you ever wondered what's up with double negation, the history of gender neutral pronouns, or why swearing is taboo? Then get ready for this week's guest, linguist Anne Curzan! Anne and Jonathan talk about how the English language has evolved since the 1300s and how our words are SO powerful because of their central role in our identities and communities. Plus, we talk about how to be a more generous speaker, listener, and caretaker of language. Anne Curzan is the Dean of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan, where she also teaches courses on the history of English, English grammar, language and gender, and the dynamics of conversations. She is a trained linguist and historian of the English language. Her TEDx talk at UM called “What makes a word ‘real'?” has over 2 million views on the national TED site. She earned her B.A. in linguistics from Yale University and her Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Michigan. Her book “Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words” came out on March 26th. You can follow Anne on Instagram at @annecurzan and find more information about her book on Penguin Random House. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our editor & engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even though people seem to enjoy dining out, many find the process frustrating and difficult. And the restaurant's menu has a lot to do with it. This episode begins with the result of a recent survey regarding how people order, what they think of menus (including QR code menus) how much a meal should cost and more. https://www.usfoods.com/our-services/business-trends/american-menu-choices.html Happiness is a difficult word to define. Even the happiest person in the world isn't happy all the time. Maybe happiness is more of a philosophy – an overall sense of contentment. Maybe it is the result of the things you do and who you do them for. That's what Stephanie Harrison believes, and she has studied what makes people happy. Stephanie is the creator of the “New Happy” philosophy. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review. The New Happy's art, newsletter, podcast, and programs reach millions of people around the world. Here's the website- https://www.thenewhappy.com. She is also author of the book New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong (https://amzn.to/3WxgOlR). Listen and you will get a deeper understanding of happiness and how to find it. In English we have rules. For example: Don't start an sentence with “and” or “but”; don't end a sentence with a preposition; don't say “ain't” because it's not a real word. Says who? Where do all these rules come from? Who wrote the rules? Are they really rules and or suggestions? Do they even make sense? Here with some insight into the rules of English and the fascinating way our language evolves is Anne Curzan. She is a professor of English language and literature, linguistics, and education and also serves as the dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan. Anne is also author of the book Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words (https://amzn.to/44wj7rd). Some people prefer not to know the gender of their soon-to-be-born baby or name it until after birth. However, there are some good reasons – particularly for new fathers – to know sooner rather than later. Listen as I explain what they are. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/10014909/Fathers-who-find-out-sex-of-unborn-child-more-likely-to-bond-sooner.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Luckily for those of us who live with the symptoms of allergies, we can Live Claritin Clear with Claritin-D! eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices