I’ve found that even avid fans of public radio have often not heard one of its most educational and (I think) entertaining shows: A Way With Words, hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, examines the many quirks English. Here’s an edited list of topics covered on the last show.
Why do aviators say “roger” to indicate they’ve received a message? A pilot phones the show about that, “wilco,” and similar language.
For some golfers, the phrase “go golfing” is as maddening as a missed two-foot putt. The proper expression, they insist, is play golf. A longtime golfer wonders whether that’s true.
Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a game called “Odd One Out,” the object of which is to guess which of four words doesn’t belong with the rest. Try this one: dove, job, polish, some.
“Yo!” Why did people ever start using the word yo! to get someone’s attention? Grant explains that in English there’s mo’ than one yo.
It’s one of the biggest grammatical bugaboos of all, the one that bedevils even the most earnest English students: “Is it lie or lay?” Martha shares a trick for remembering the difference.
How are things in your “neck of the woods“? And why heck do we say neck?
Grant explains the connection between “sauce” and “don’t sass me.”
Why do some people pronounce the word “wash” as warsh? Martha and Grant discuss the so-called “intrusive R” and why it makes people say “warsh” instead of “wash” and “Warshington” instead of “Washington.”
A Way With Words can be heard on many public radio stations (often at odd times, such as early Sunday morning), and the podcast is available on the web site linked to above, as well as on iTunes.
Very interesting. I hadn’t heard of this show, but will surely check it out, at least on the podcast version. It sounds right up my alley. Now why do people say THAT? Where is this alley and why does it seem that everyone has one, allowing things to come up said alley?
That’s exactly the sort of question they would love to answer. See if you can get it on the show.
A friend of mine came up with a good pet peeve that I’ve encouraged him to contact them about: what he calls “the ness monster”, e.g., the growing use of constructions like ‘rapidness’ instead of ‘rapidity’.