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Slate Debates

When Ain't Was Alright

Slate Debates

Slate Podcasts

Society & Culture, News

4.63K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2019

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What we can learn about English from am, the seemingly simplest verb. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Email: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

From New York City, this is Lexicon Valley, a podcast about language.

0:09.4

And this week I want to get a lot, or at least a modest amount, out of a little.

0:15.9

I want to do one of those shows where we see that so much in this language that we speak

0:21.8

in any language that you speak is just full of implications, full of fun facts, full of

0:27.2

maybes and history practically every syllable you utter.

0:32.0

And this week I wanted to do of all things.

0:35.8

Get this.

0:36.8

This is what the whole show is going to be about this week.

0:39.3

Am.

0:40.3

Just that form of the verb to be just little old am.

0:44.8

Whenever you hear somebody say am, there is so much to it that you would never think about.

0:49.6

It's always been one of my favorite words.

0:52.1

Sometimes people ask me for reasons I'm not quite sure of what my favorite word is.

0:56.5

And for some reason I always end up saying watercolour, which is not really true.

1:00.6

One of my favorite words is really am, but you don't pop that out of the party because

1:04.0

you won't be invited back.

1:06.1

Did you know choosing the train over your car can cut your carbon footprint by up to two

1:10.7

thirds.

1:11.7

So, one family outing at a time, one little adventurer to time, one trip to the museum, one dinner

1:19.7

in the city, one nap on the way home at a time.

1:24.7

One train journey to time can help create a greener future.

1:29.4

So when will you take your next trip?

...

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