We can think of food in strictly utilitarian terms as fuel to keep our bodies operating, but almost nobody does.

Even when we're trying to maximize the nutrient content, we care about the flavor,

the texture, the aroma and temperature and origins of food, and we value it as a source of pleasure.

And for a lot of us, the same is true of language. From KERA in Dallas, this is think. I'm Chris

Boyd. Even apart from their nutrients, the information they

communicate, words have the capacity to surprise and intrigue us, and people in every culture

speaking every language are endlessly tinkering with the way we use and combine and define them.

It has always delighted my guest. Her love for language was planted by her

educator parents, seasoned by the Appalachian dialect of a beloved aunt, and stirred together under

the mentorship of a tutor who could hold his own in more than a dozen languages, including

ancient Greek. Martha Barnett is a journalist, public speaker, and co-host of the radio show and podcast Away with Words.

Her new book is called Friends with Words, Adventures in Language Land.

Martha, welcome back to think.

Chris, it's great to be here.

And I love that introduction talking about words and food because they are so savory and so delicious.

And two of my favorite things, so I'm happy to put them together.

You were sort of set up in life, right, to be a lover of language and words, starting with

your highly educated parents.

What your aunt gave you was this appreciation for, would you say, the delights of regional versions of the English language?

Tell us about your time with her.

Yes, my father and his sister and seven siblings were born in a log cabin in the foothills of Appalachian, western North Carolina.

And so they grew up in abject poverty.

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