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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

Word Up! - 17 Jan. 2011

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

A Way with Words

Education, Language Learning, Society & Culture

4.62.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 January 2011

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

SUMMARYWhat would you serve a plumber who comes over for dinner? How about ... leeks? The hosts play a word game called "What Would You Serve?" Also, how can you correct someone's grammar without ruining a new relationship? And is there an easy way to remember the difference between who and whom?FULL DETAILSWhat would you serve a plumber for dinner? How about leeks? (We didn't say it had to be appetizing.) What would you serve a jeweler? Carats. Martha and Grant play the "What Would You Serve?" game.A Little Rock, Ark., caller has been going out with a Chinese woman. Her English is pretty good, but he wonders about the most polite way to correct a minor grammar mistake without ruining a new relationship.What's the origin of the expressions "Word!" and "Word up!"? Grant shares a theory from the book "Black Talk" by Geneva Smitherman.http://bit.ly/gLhqdoBy the way, here's that 1980's-era song "Word Up."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjAantupsAWhat would you serve a chronic procrastinator? Ketchup. What would you serve a fertility specialist? Eggplant. Martha serves up those and others.Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a quiz based on news events of the last several months, all in limerick form.A woman in Gainesville, Fla., says her father and his partner have an ongoing Scrabble feud over rebeheaded. Is it a word?"Anymore, I play golf instead of tennis." Grant explains that this grammatical construction is known as the "positive anymore."What would you serve to people separated by six degrees? Bacon!A sign-language interpreter found herself translating the word doldrums. She wonders if it has to do the area of the ocean known by that name.What would you serve a group of musicians and cardiologists? How about beets?Martha shares some collective nouns sent in by listeners in response to a recent show on the topic.http://www.waywordradio.org/roberta-of-flax/What does nonplussed mean, exactly? Does it mean "unflappable" or "at a loss." Martha and Grant disagree about its use.Is there some kind of snappy jingle for knowing when to use who and whom? Grant shares some familiar proverbs that supposedly arose from African-American English. The book he mentions is Proverbs, by Wolfgang Mieder.http://bit.ly/dQVxmQNeed a word for "lover of the underdog"? It's infracaninophile.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: [email protected]: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Spark your creativity with the Sims. Sometimes you might feel like you're not creative

0:06.7

and you have to go in search of your creative spark again. Maybe this is catching up with

0:11.3

creative friends, experimenting with a new look or trying out a new recipe.

0:15.7

And thanks to The Sims, inspiration is just one game and one spark away.

0:21.1

Ready to spark something? Download the Sims 4 and play for free.

0:27.0

Hey, podcast listener, even though you're hearing this recorded show, you can still call us whenever you want.

0:34.5

1-877-929-967-73.

0:38.0

Our voicemail will take your call, later we'll listen to it just as we listen to all of them and then there's always a chance that

0:44.6

we'll decide to have you on the show to ask your question or share your story.

0:48.8

On with the show.

0:50.0

Support for away with words comes from National University where flexible online classes let you earn your degree or credential on your schedule.

0:58.0

Learn more at inU.edU.edU. You're listening to Away With Words. I'm Grant Barrett.

1:07.0

And I'm Martha Barnett.

1:09.0

Lately, I've been having a lot of fun with a game that involves two of our favorite things, words and food.

1:16.1

This is a word game sent to us by a listener in Tallahassee, Melanie Annas, and she and

1:21.1

her husband Marty play this game and they call it what would you serve.

1:25.1

And here's how it goes.

1:26.2

Think of someone you want to invite over for a bite to eat and then decide what would be

1:29.5

on the menu and it has to be just one word grant.

1:32.1

So for example, what would you serve

1:34.8

if the plumber is coming over for dinner?

1:37.5

Mmm.

...

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