John is traveling this week and so we’re running a previous episode about the speech patterns of Bette Davis, George Gershwin, Louis Armstrong and countless other Americans of the 1930s. Why do they all sound like that? 

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Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?

A podcast about language, with host John McWhorter. 

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The simple verb to go quickly gets complex in just about any language and English is no exception. John explains. 

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Going Deep

What does the bat in “acrobat” have to do with the word come? John explains. 

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Come Under Scrutiny

Reflexive pronouns are redundant in a way, sure, but they’re also quite common in many languages. John explains. 

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Have Your Own Damn Self a Merry Little Christmas

There’s good reason to believe that sophisticated speech began long before homo sapiens hit the scene. John explains. 

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When Did People Start Talking?

Does Ayesha Rascoe have a good radio voice? Not according to many NPR listeners, who find her loud, high-pitched and generally grating. John explains. 

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lexiconvalley.substack.com/subscribe

Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?

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