Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) on the Strange History of the English Language

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2018

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mignon Fogarty has spent years helping others sort out the extremely peculiar grammar of the English language. But in the course of her research on how to navigate the weirdness of English, she learned the why of the weirdness of English.

Did you know that egregious once meant outstandingly good? Or that the sport badminton comes from an English manor with a love of peculiar sports? Or that many of the words in the Oxford Dictionary of English got there from the suggestions of a serial killer?

But the strangeness doesn't stop there. In today's interview Mignon tells us such stories asThe same person who came up with the rule that we shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition also said we shouldn't refer to children as "who" because they aren't rational beingsNoah Webster's first failed dictionary went too far with spelling reform. He included "wimmen" for "women" and "tung" for "tongue" and everybody hated it.The origin of certain phrases (run of the mill, beyond the pale, by the wayside)

Transcript

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0:00.0	They were some of the most powerful men who've ever lived.
0:02.8	They waged war, forged peace, and altered the fates of billions of people,
0:06.9	and yet they were just as human, just as flawed as you and me.
0:10.6	They were the presidents of the United States, and they are the subjects of the history podcast
0:15.0	this American president. In each episode of this American president, we explore how flawed men
0:20.5	have managed this awesome responsibility. To listen now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search
0:26.8	this American president on your favorite podcast platform.
0:30.0	The history of the Popes of Rome and Christianity reaches into nearly every aspect of history.
0:36.4	In the history of the papacy podcast, we step over the rope. We dive into discover more about the
0:42.6	people events and background that define the influence of the Popes of Rome and church not only
0:48.0	on the west, but the world. To start listening now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search for
0:55.8	history of the papacy on your favorite podcast platform.
1:02.8	Welcome to the history unplugged podcast, the unscripted show that celebrates unsung heroes,
1:09.4	Mythbust's historical lies, and rediscoveres the forgotten stories that changed our world.
1:16.0	I'm your host, Scott Rank.
1:18.9	Something I've tried to do with this podcast is talk about history and clear up misconceptions.
1:28.6	But I get it that people can be annoyed when you go too far and try to clear things up,
1:33.2	and they feel like you're a stickler or you're a fun killer who's always trying to say,
1:37.1	well actually it wasn't like that. Well history is one area where people can feel annoyed,
1:41.8	but if there's something that actually goes farther than that, it's grammar. I know that because
1:46.4	I was an English teacher and you can really get on people's nerves if you're correct in them about
1:51.2	things about any dissentant with a preposition or a split infinitive saying, well you can't say we
	...

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