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‘Friends with Words’ is a book about language, from word origins to regional dialects

NPR's Book of the Day

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The Beauty of Language: Mellifluous and Beyond

This chapter delves into the enchanting word 'mellifluous' and its origins, while introducing the concept of 'fossil poetry' that encapsulates language's beauty. It also explores societal aversions to certain words, the richness of etymology, and the connections among the world's 7,000 languages, drawing parallels between linguistic discovery and archaeology.

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