Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing An inspiring tutor, 'New York System' hot dogs, and 'queen spotting.'
Dec 4, 2025
Martha Barnette, co-host of A Way With Words and author of Friends With Words, shares her fascinating journey with a polyglot tutor who transformed her understanding of ancient Greek. She dives into the etymology of words like 'Oedipus' and regionalisms like South Carolina's 'bloodynoun.' Martha also explores Rhode Island's 'New York system' hot dogs, the intriguing world of Scrabble words, and recommends books like The Invention of Nature and Queen Spotting, highlighting its insights into beekeeping and identifying queen bees.
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Twelve-Year Tutor Transformed Greek Learning
- Martha Barnette recounts struggling with ancient Greek until a retired polyglot tutor taught her by exploring word roots.
- That twelve-year mentorship transformed her approach and led to academic success in Greek.
Etymology Reveals Deep Language Connections
- Martha's tutor used etymology (Oedipus = swollen foot) to link Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, and English.
- This revealed Proto-Indo-European connections and made language feel interconnected and logical.
Last Visit And A Dreamed Premonition
- Martha visited her tutor in the hospital where he spoke multiple languages and mentioned gemstones before saying "no me olvides."
- She dreamt of a burning library and learned he had died the next morning.
