That's What They Say

By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector

That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. Each week University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan will discuss why we say what we say with... more

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FAQs about That's What They Say:

How many episodes does That's What They Say have?

The podcast currently has 400 episodes available.

That's What They Say episodes:

October 10, 2021 TWTS: The fantastic and/or fantastical voyage of "fantastic" and "fantastical"
Standard dictionaries have yet to catch up with us as we differentiate "fantastic" and "fantastical."
...more
6min
October 03, 2021 TWTS: The power of a hyphen
A hyphen can mean the difference between resigning from a job or re-signing a contract to keep that job. But style guides don't always agree on which words should get one.
...more
6min
September 26, 2021 TWTS: Infeasible or unfeasible? Just pick the one you like
Do we really need both "infeasible" and "unfeasible?" It's feasible to argue that we don't.
...more
6min
September 12, 2021 TWTS: Staving off questions about "staffs" and "staves"
If you have one staff, as in a stick, and then you add another staff, you now run into the question of whether you have two staffs or two staves.
...more
6min
September 05, 2021 TWTS: Prior to adding "to," no one cares about "previous" and "prior"
The words "previous" and "prior" are synonyms and don’t get much attention from language commentators.
...more
5min
August 29, 2021 TWTS: All available uses of "avail"
We do things more often "to no avail" than "of no avail."
...more
6min
August 15, 2021 TWTS: Shining a light on the past tense of "shine"
If you shine your shoes today, tomorrow you’ll be able to say you shined your shoes.
...more
6min
August 01, 2021 TWTS: When it comes to "lie" and "lay," even English professors get confused
Even for speakers who feel solid about the distinction between "lie" and "lay," they may lose that distinction when "low" is added to the mix.
...more
6min
July 25, 2021 TWTS: Can't take our eyes off "off of"
The 1967 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was one of Frankie Valli's biggest hits.
...more
6min
July 18, 2021 TWTS: Wet your whistle, not your appetite
When we wet our whistle at a bar, we have a "wh" in whistle but not in "wet."
...more
6min

FAQs about That's What They Say:

How many episodes does That's What They Say have?

The podcast currently has 400 episodes available.

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