Little Shavers (Rebroadcast) - 10 May 2021

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A Way with Words

Language Learning, Society & Culture, Education

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The word hipster might seem recent, but it actually originated in the 1930s when it referred to jazz aficionados who were in the know about the best nightclubs and cool music. Speaking of music, a professional musician reports that it's sometimes hard for him to relax and enjoy the performance of others because he's tempted overanalyze it. Do language experts have the same problem when they listen to everyday conversation or read for pleasure? They sure do! The remedy? Reading something you can really get lost in. And hey — some gift recommendations coming right up: books about family, reading, and 21st-century English. Plus, little shavers, fork to the floor, potato quality, some good, zhuzh, and tons more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/. Email words@waywordradio.org. Twitter @wayword. Our listener phone line 1 (877) 929-9673 is toll-free in the United States and Canada. Elsewhere in the world, call +1 (619) 800-4443; charges may apply. From anywhere, text/SMS +1 (619) 567-9673. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to a way with words this show about language and how we use it on Grant Barrett.
0:04.6	And I'm Martha Barnett. Even if you don't know a word of Greek, you may be tempted to start
0:09.7	learning that language after reading a book by Mary Norris called Greek to Me. The subtitle is
0:15.5	Adventures of the Comma Queen, and you may remember her earlier book called Between You and Me,
0:20.8	which is about her adventures as a Comma Queen that is wielding a copy editing pencil at the New
0:25.9	Orker magazine for three decades. Her book Greek to Me is about her passion for both ancient Greek
0:32.4	and modern Greek. And it's a deeply personal love letter to the language and this exuberant
0:38.4	account of falling in love with both the ancient and the modern version. And she writes about making
0:44.6	multiple trips as a solo traveler in Greece and around the Aegean. And I know very little modern
0:50.5	Greek at all. So I was especially excited to pick up some from this book. For example, I didn't
0:55.6	know that the modern Greek word for plastic wrap is something like D'Affini Membrani. Or this
1:01.4	is so poetic. D'Affinus Membrani? Yes, yeah, it's rapier sandwich in that D'Affinus Membrani.
1:07.3	Oh, that's very cool. Yeah, D'Affinus coming from Greek words that mean light shining through.
1:12.3	And the modern Greek word for newspapers, Eiffemurrida, which means a femoral something.
1:19.2	Yes, it's related to the English word ephemeral. It means lasting but for a day. Isn't that
1:24.3	pretty? Yeah, it truly does. Yeah, yeah, the modern Greek for for a day is Hemera. You know,
1:29.8	people say Kalemera. Kalemera, good morning, yeah. Yeah, yeah, but it's related to ephemeral.
1:34.8	So if you have a fan or a potential fan of ancient or modern Greek on your holiday gift list,
1:40.0	I would recommend Greek to Me by Mary Norris. Outstanding. It sounds wonderful. I had a wonderful
1:45.3	trip there years ago where I went there on an unexpected adventure where I gave some co-workers
1:50.8	some money and said, buy me a ticket. Don't tell me when I'm leaving or where I'm going
1:54.4	till the day of the trip and gave them a month long window and they sent me to Greece. Are you
	...

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