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Etymology
May 25, 2012 — Linguist David Crystal believes every word has a story to tell, even the ones as commonplace as "and." In The Story of English in 100 Words, he compiles a collection of words — classic words like "tea" and new words like "app" — that explain how the English language has evolved.
Apr 2, 2012 — Linguist David Crystal believes every word has a story to tell, even the ones as commonplace as "and." In The Story of English in 100 Words, he compiles a collection of words — classic words like "tea" and new words like "app" — that explain how the English language has evolved.
Aug 4, 2011 — NPR coverage of What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter. News, author interviews, critics' picks and more.
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Aug 4, 2011 — Humans have been speaking thousands of years longer than they have been writing. Yet many assume the written word is superior to the way we speak. In What Language Is: And What It Isn't And What It Could Be, John McWhorter argues that most of our assumptions about language are wrong.
Jul 15, 2011 — NPR coverage of Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words by John Bemelmans Marciano. News, author interviews, critics' picks and more.
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Dec 10, 2010 — It's that time of year again! Susan Stamberg chats with three independent booksellers about their favorite reads of the year, from an atlas of remote islands to a children's book about feminist heroes.
Nov 20, 2010 — Everybody says it dozens of times every day — from its Boston birthplace to the farthest reaches of Earth. It's the word "OK" — the subject of the new book OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word. Author Allan Metcalf says it embodies America's can-do philosophy in just two letters.
Nov 12, 2009 — Did you know that the word "Frisbee" is derived from Mary Frisbie, a woman who made pies in Connecticut? Or that "silhouette" originated with Etienne de Silhouette, an 18th century French finance minister? John Marciano shines light on these and many other etymological mysteries in Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words.
Oct 28, 2008 — As the presidential election approaches, Talk of the Nation will ask guests to make the case for the two candidates on foreign and domestic policy. John McWhorter, a linguistics professor and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, explains why Barack Obama is the right choice in 2008.
Aug 8, 2008 — Many avid readers know the sense of sadness that can come along with the end of a book. For Ammon Shea, that feeling led him to an idea: Why not read one of the longest books out there, The Oxford English Dictionary?
