Train of Thought (Rebroadcast) - 16 October 2023

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A Way with Words

Language Learning, Society & Culture, Education

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chances are you recognize the expressions Judgment Day and root of all evil as phrases from the Bible. There are many others, such as the powers that be and bottomless pit, which both first appeared in scripture. • There’s a term for when the language of a minority is adopted by the majority. When, for example, expressions from drag culture and hip-hop go mainstream, they’re said to have covert prestige. • The language of proxemics: how architects design spaces to bring people together or help them keep their distance. • Segway vs. segue, part and parcel, Land of Nod, hue and cry, on the razzle, train of thought, and a special Swedish word for a special place of refuge. 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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0:00.0	Oh no, the stars have gone out on planet Tear! Only the Crybaby's magic tears stars can make them shine again!
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0:23.0	Reach for the stars and find the full range at Smith's Toys today!
0:30.0	You're listening to A Way With Words, the show about language and how we use it. I'm Grant Barrett.
0:35.0	And I'm Martha Barnett, cast the first stone, do unto others. Am I my brother's keeper?
0:42.0	So many phrases in English come to us from the Bible, land of milk and honey, root of all evil, judgment day.
0:49.0	Those are some of the obvious ones, but there are also lots of words and phrases that you might be surprised to learn apparently originated in early translations of Greek and Hebrew scripture.
0:59.0	And one of those is bottomless pit. Oh, I did not know that. How about that?
1:04.0	It means, of course, something that can't ever be filled or satisfied. Right.
1:08.0	A teenage boy in the kitchen. Right, right, right.
1:11.0	But the first recorded appearance of this phrase in English is apparently William Tyndall's 1526 translation of the Bible.
1:18.0	It's from the Book of Revelation, which includes this apocalyptic vision.
1:23.0	And the fifth angel blue, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth, and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
1:31.0	Isn't that cool? Yeah, the Greek there that's translated is abu-sauce, which means abyss.
1:37.0	But it's apparently the first recorded instance we have of bottomless pit.
1:42.0	Bottomless pit. Wow. Isn't that cool?
1:44.0	That is amazing. Guess what? I have some more of those, and I'm going to share them later in the show.
1:48.0	These are all from the Bible, and the Bible right up there with Shakespeare is the number one or number two influence on English.
1:53.0	A really big influencer.
1:55.0	Give us a call, 877-929-9673, or tell us everything in email to wordswaywardreadier.org,
2:01.0	and you can go to our website and send us a message from there at www.waywardreadier.org.
	...

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