Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios The World's Largest Family
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Aug 1, 2024 John, a skilled linguist with expertise in reconstructing Proto-Indo-European, shares fascinating insights into the intricacies of language families. He discusses how linguists have made strides in unraveling the mysteries of Indo-European languages while tackling the challenges of older, primarily oral languages. The conversation highlights the profound impact of global languages like English and Spanish on indigenous tongues and features a captivating story about the evolution of a unique language in Ukraine.
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Platform Move
- Lexicon Valley is moving bonus content to Supporting Cast.
- Listeners can access it on Spotify and easily connect their podcast apps.
Indo-European's Vastness
- Indo-European language family is vast and well-documented due to rich written records.
- John McWhorter hasn't covered all subfamilies, acknowledging their importance.
Albanian Ruse
- McWhorter's parents jokingly claimed to speak Albanian to hide conversations.
- He clarifies they didn't actually speak Albanian.