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Lexicon Valley

Ascent of the A-Word

Lexicon Valley

Lexicon Valley

Society & Culture, Education

4.8611 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2012

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg on his book Ascent of the A-Word: A**holism, the First Sixty Years. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. With Shopify, 2026 is the year you make it happen. It gives you the tools to build your dream store, online and in person. Plus with marketing built in, it'll help you reach exactly who you need to. Join the millions who've already made the leap, like Jim Shark and all birds, and ring in the new year with Shopify.

0:23.3

Sign up for your £1 per month trial at shopify.

0:26.7

Shopify.com.uk.

0:27.7

org slash Spotify.

0:35.3

From Washington, D.C., this is Lexicon Valley, a podcast about language.

0:41.8

I'm Bob Garfield with Mike Volo, and today, episode number 17, titled Ascent of the A Word,

0:49.0

wherein we talk to linguist Jeffrey Nunberg about the entitled, obtuse, and omnipresent asshole.

1:01.8

Hey, Mikey.

1:03.3

Hey, Bob.

1:04.3

We're back.

1:05.8

Here we are.

1:07.2

You know, I posted an announcement back in July saying that Lexicon Valley would return with new episodes in late summer.

1:16.0

And not too long ago, B.C. Moonraker wrote a review on iTunes, a five-star review, by the way, with the title Define Late Summer.

1:29.2

By my watch, there are about five days or so left in summer.

1:35.3

Oh, so we got in under the wire, did we?

1:37.6

Just under the wire.

1:39.5

All right.

1:39.8

Before we get to today's episode, a quick update.

1:44.0

On episode five of Lexicon Valley, we spoke with

1:47.9

David Skinner about a book that he was working on called The Story of Ain't, America, its

1:53.7

language, and the most controversial dictionary ever published. We, in fact, read it in manuscript

1:59.3

form at the time, before even an uncorrected proof was available.

...

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