Tennessee Top Hat (Rebroadcast) - 12 September 2016

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A Way with Words

Language Learning, Society & Culture, Education

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2016

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s hard enough to get a new word into the dictionary. But what happens when lawmakers get involved? New Jersey legislators passed a resolution as part of an anti-bullying campaign urging dictionary companies to adopt the word upstander. It means “the opposite of bystander.” But will it stick? And: 18th-century abolitionist Sojourner Truth was born in New York State, but for most of her childhood, she spoke only Dutch. There’s a good reason for that. Plus, practical tips for learning to converse in any foreign language: Think of it like an exercise program, and work out with a buddy. Also, rhyming slang, “kick the bucket,” “behind God’s back,” world-beaters, Twitter canoes, a slew of slang terms for that yep-nope hairstyle, the mullet. 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/contact. Be a part of the show: call 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; worldwide, call or text/SMS +1 (619) 800-4443. Email words@waywordradio.org. Twitter @wayword. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:23.8	Engineered to do it all. That's a laptop evolved with Intel Evo Platform.
0:27.8	You're listening to Away with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
0:34.0	I'm Grant Barrett.
0:35.0	And I'm Martha Barnett.
0:36.0	Grant, as a lexicographer, as a dictionary editor, you know that people are forever sending
0:41.8	words to the dictionary that they would like to be included.
0:45.6	Yes, yes they are.
0:47.2	And their chances are usually...
0:50.2	Not so great.
0:52.2	But what if one of those words had the force of legislation behind it?
0:58.8	Oh maybe, maybe it's got a chance. What is it? Well the word is upstander. Oh yeah, opposite of bystander. Yes,
1:06.1	the opposite of bystander is somebody who stands up for somebody who's being picked
1:09.7	on. Well it turns out that in June of this year the New Jersey State Senate approved a resolution
1:16.0	urging Merriam-Webster Inc and the Oxford University Press to include the word upstander
1:21.0	in their dictionaries.
1:23.0	What's their motivation for that?
	...

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