Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Learn about the prevalence of silent letters in English spelling and the fascinating stories behind them. Explore the historical use of suffixes and the challenges of spelling reforms. Discover the evolution of English pronunciations and a language-learning app. Dive into the borrowed origins and spelling variations of the word 'pajamas'.

Linguistics professor Valerie Fridland explores the uniqueness of human language, emphasizing creativity, identity expression, and leadership in linguistic change. They discuss differences between animal communication and human language, the potential of chatbots, and the nuances of 'gotten' in American English. The episode includes funny anecdotes about the NATO alphabet mix-ups and 'A1 sauce' mispronunciations.

Explore the history and meaning of terms like Hispanic, Chicano, Latino, Latina, Latinx, and Latine. Discuss the controversy of using 'grow' with non-living things. Delve into the evolution of identity terms for Latin American descent and the importance of respecting preferences in language.

Valerie Fridland, a linguistics professor, discusses the linguistic history of 'house' and 'mansion' and how they evolved. The podcast explores French influence on English and the societal perceptions associated with these words. Additionally, they discuss the origins and meanings of 'house' in the context of attention. The episode also touches on the origin of house music and promotes a new book called 'The Grammar Daily'.

Explore the influence of printing terms on everyday language, including typecast, stereotype, cliche, and boilerplate. Learn about the evolution of printing methods and the origin of 'out of sorts.' Discover the origins of 'boilerplate' and the use of negative polarity items in language. Dive into the positive usage of 'anymore' in English grammar and the introduction of the term 'Giggle-mer'.

Explore the origins of idiomatic expressions like 'black sheep' and 'black market'. Discover the evolution of 'black market', 'blacksmiths', and 'pitch black'. Uncover the usefulness of the NATO phonetic alphabet and learn about bizarre alphabetical associations. Share listener stories and shout-outs.

954.  Uh-oh, "irregardless" isn’t going away anytime soon. Take a deep breath while we dig into this hated word’s history, from its first appearance in 1795 to today. And then, do you love a good plot twist? In honor of National Novel Writing Month, we look at the psychology of surprises in fiction.The "irregardless" segment was written by Susan Herman, a retired U.S. government multidisciplined language analyst, analytic editor, and instructor.The "plot twist" segment was written by Vera Tobin, an associate professor of Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University. It originally appeared on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license.| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/irregardless/transcript| Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.| Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.| Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) or https://sayhi.chat/grammargirl| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.| Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Ben Yagoda, author and linguist, discusses the influence of British English on American English through military slang. From 'omnishambles' to 'gadget', he reveals the fascinating stories behind these words. The chapter also explores the origins and meanings of 'shambolic', 'dicey', and 'dodgy', tracing their roots back to World War II Air Force slang.

Linguistics and American Studies professors discuss cliches, idioms, slang, and the annoying nature of overused phrases. They delve into the 700-year history of the word 'organic' and its different meanings, from bodily organs to natural growth. Additionally, a personal story is shared about a made-up word and its impact.

Author Jess Zafarris explores the dark histories and origins of scary words. She discusses the difference between terror and horror, the evolution of the word 'terrific,' the manipulation of scary words like Satan and bear euphemisms, and the origins and meanings of words related to the Arctic, banshees, Irish words, chimeras, chupacabras, dragons, and werewolves.