Linguistics After Dark

By Linguistics After Dark

Linguistics After Dark is a podcast where three linguists (and sometimes other people) answer your burning questions about language, linguistics, and whatever else you need advice about. We have three... more

· Science

4.7

2828 ratings

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FAQs about Linguistics After Dark:

How many episodes does Linguistics After Dark have?

The podcast currently has 22 episodes available.

Linguistics After Dark episodes:

February 13, 2020Episode 2: Juno's Geese
Wherein we discuss how linguistics is everywhere but linguists are nowhere, and introduce the concept of the unsolicited etymology swear jar.
Jump right to:
01:33 “Universal” word lists, bad puns, and university “field work” stories

07:25 What composes an accent? What counts as a dialect? What about “little kid speak”?

24:16 What are the most valuable ways linguistics can improve society?

45:45 Favorite ridiculous etymologies

54:31 The puzzler: What do the words JOB, POLISH, and HERB have in common?
Covered in this episode:
We love Car Talk

Dialects and accents often overlap but are not the same thing

Dialects and registers also often overlap but are not the same thing

Obligatory “A language is just a dialect with an army and a navy.”

Linguistics After Dark has no official positions on contentious geopolitical issues

Understanding the value of descriptivism and the reality of language evolution

Hot takes on regional identity in the UK vs North America vs California

Why don’t journalists know that linguists exist?

A story that has nothing to do with financial advising, and everything to do with geese

OK is the only acronym etymology that’s all correct
Links and other post-show thoughts:
Swadesh’s first name was Morris

Mutual intelligibility on the Deutsch/Dutch border

More mutual intelligibility, including Scandinavia, from an A++ YouTube channel

Victor Mair, coiner of the word topolect

All sorts of ways linguists and linguistics benefit society

BBC and Received Pronunciation

Here are some diagrams about the overlap between linguistics and other fields (this last one is the one Sarah had in mind)

The Unsolicited Etymology Trivia Jar

Etymologies of canary, easel, and lettuce

The full story of what the fuck, geese (spoiler alert: 356≠390)

And yes, ⟨mint⟩ (where money is printed) is also related to ⟨moneta⟩

Etymologies of island, isle, OK, and lox (which has a dialectical variation still spelled "lax"!)
Ask us questions:
Send your questions (text or voice memo) to [email protected], or find us as @lxadpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Credits:
Linguistics After Dark is produced by Emfozzing Enterprises. Eli edits, Jenny transcribes, and Sarah does show notes. Our music is “Covert Affair” by Kevin MacLeod.
Thanks for listening!
...more
58min
December 24, 2019Episode 1: Batman's Batsman
Our very first episode, answering real language questions from real listeners! And boy do we live up to our no-research policy. (What is the truth about bubblers? TEACH THE CONTROVERSY!)
Jump right to:
00:43 Thing of the Day: Ambiguity (...or is it?)

04:28 In the English word ⟨scent⟩, is the ⟨s⟩ or the ⟨c⟩ silent?

11:50 Has our study of linguistics caused us to consciously change how we talk?

25:48 How should you pluralize superhero names?

34:37 Can "informal" mean "giving information to the reader" along with "not formal"?

39:30 The Puzzler: Can you find a word that has three double letters in a row?
Covered in this episode:
Fun with affixes!

English “soft c” spelling rules

Awkward teenage spelling reform phases

A hot take not taken

Obligatory (incorrect) citation of the Martha’s Vineyard accent study

How to tell if you should study linguistics

Obligatory mention of “bubbler”

Why is “bubbler” localised SO SPECIFICALLY?

Everyone needs to see Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Hot takes on Spider-Men, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Attorney General

In-laws and Sinlaws

Obligatory Latin-based explanations

⟨bassoon⟩ and ⟨balloon⟩ are basically the same word
Links and other post-show thoughts:
We have no link to back up Sarah’s assertion that ⟨sc⟩ makes an [ʃ] sound in Late Latin and modern Italian, despite a wide search. However, ⟨conscious⟩ is an English word where ⟨sc⟩ makes an [ʃ] sound, so that's almost as good.

The Nantucket study, which was actually done in Martha’s Vineyard (no research, y'all)

Confirmed: Kohler is a town named after the company named after the founding family

Bubbler is related to a Kohler trademark

Bubbler is not related to a Kohler trademark

I don't know what to think about bubbler anymore (They exist in Portland, OR, too!)

Fun fact: Sarah heard “Spider-Mans” in the wild the week after we recorded this podcast, explaining that "Into the Spider-Verse" has six total “Spider-Mans”. Native speaker intuition for the win!

Etymologies of inform versus informal

Turns out that ⟨informative⟩ ALSO used to be an inflammable-style contranym! (Well, sort of. It used to mean ⟨formative⟩. What even.)
Ask us questions:
Send your questions (text or voice memo) to [email protected], or find us as @lxadpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Credits:
Linguistics After Dark is produced by Emfozzing Enterprises. Eli edits, Jenny transcribes, and Sarah does show notes. Our music is "Covert Affair" by Kevin McLeod.
Thanks for listening!
...more
45min

FAQs about Linguistics After Dark:

How many episodes does Linguistics After Dark have?

The podcast currently has 22 episodes available.

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