Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

It may seem apparent how we got from busyness to business, but the origins of the word “busy” itself are shrouded in mystery. John explains.

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As a daily listener to WNYC Public Radio in New York City, John has noticed that a certain announcer frequently mispronounces words on air. He has thoughts.

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Working backwards from existing languages, linguists have had great success reconstructing Proto-Indo-European. Does that mean we can do the same for all language families? John explains.

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A cyclone came through and blew off most of English’s clothes, says John, in Part II of his discussion of Indo-European.

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There are at least five defining features among hundreds of related languages from English to Hindi to Russian. And what does any of that have to do with the Hittites? John explains.

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

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

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

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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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lexiconvalley.substack.com