Lexicon Valley
Lexicon Valley
A podcast about language, with hosts Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 24, 2019 • 44min
A Bisl Yiddish
Add to German a large helping of Hebrew and a dollop of Slavic. Stir. Let marinate. Enjoy!
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Dec 10, 2019 • 37min
Private Parts
What does a rooster have to do with male genitalia anyway?
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Nov 26, 2019 • 43min
The Soft Power of Like
Terms such as "like" and "sort of" are ways for English speakers to sound more polite.
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Nov 12, 2019 • 34min
Men, Women and Children
What is it with people and animals and irregular plurals?
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Oct 29, 2019 • 32min
Zombie English
Long-dead elements of the language still haunt our everyday speech.
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Oct 16, 2019 • 35min
Let's Do Lunch
Come table-hopping as we discuss the linguistic quirks of some mealtime terms.
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Oct 1, 2019 • 34min
How to Think Like a Linguist
Never mind those 26 letters — the English language has 44 unique sounds.
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Sep 17, 2019 • 38min
Has English Gotten Less Complex?
English has shed many of its nuances over the centuries. Take pronouns, for example.
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Sep 3, 2019 • 34min
S#!t, Hell and Darn
Curse words can reveal a lot about language. S#!t, hell and darn, to name three, contain countless linguistic lessons.
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
Aug 19, 2019 • 43min
This Family Speaks 1,200 Languages
From Madagascar to Easter Island, Austronesian tongues traveled far and wide with early seafarers.
Twitter: @lexiconvalley
Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley
Website: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley
