Why the heck does 'score' mean 20? How we subconsciously know how to pronounce different plurals.

Why the heck does 'score' mean 20? How we subconsciously know how to pronounce different plurals.

929. While we were looking into why we use the word "score" to mean "twenty," our minds were blown by how many languages still have remnants of a base-20 counting system. And then we learned the secret rules that explain why some plurals end with an "s" sound and others end with a "z" sound. It was quite a week!

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/score-dogz/transcript

| The "score" segment was written by Susan K. Herman, a retired U.S. Government multidisciplined language analyst, analytic editor, and language instructor.

| The "Cats and Dogz" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com

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Jaksot(1013)

Why English is the best language for Wordle, with Lynne Murphy

Why English is the best language for Wordle, with Lynne Murphy

928. Listen to the interview that got me playing Wordle again. Lynne Murphy shared all sorts of things you probably didn't know about this game!Lynne Murphy is professor of linguistics at the Universi...

16 Touko 202324min

It's all uphill from here (or is that downhill?). Eating like a pig (animal idioms).

It's all uphill from here (or is that downhill?). Eating like a pig (animal idioms).

927. Whether you're a bird brain or a wise old owl, you'll love this week's episode as we fight an uphill battle to understand a language filled with metaphors.| Transcript:  https://grammar-girl.simp...

9 Touko 202314min

What's wrong with 'there are' sentences? 5 fun facts about Spanish for Cinco de Mayo

What's wrong with 'there are' sentences? 5 fun facts about Spanish for Cinco de Mayo

926. You may remember being told not to start sentences with "there are," but do you know why? We have the answer! Plus, for Cinco de Mayo, we have five fun facts about Spanish.| Transcript:  https://...

2 Touko 202318min

Have you begged the question lately? What kind of learning is best: online, remote, distance, or virtual?

Have you begged the question lately? What kind of learning is best: online, remote, distance, or virtual?

925. The existence of the manchineel tree does NOT beg the question of how many different ways a tree can actually hurt you. But it does show that you can't always use taste to tell whether something ...

25 Huhti 202319min

What we get wrong about 'um' and 'uh,' with Valerie Fridland

What we get wrong about 'um' and 'uh,' with Valerie Fridland

924. What if I told you that you actually should use "uh" and "um" when you're giving a talk? And what if I told you "dude" was originally an anti-masculine word? Those are just some of the surprising...

18 Huhti 202332min

5 things every writer wants to learn, with Roy Peter Clark

5 things every writer wants to learn, with Roy Peter Clark

923. America's writing coach, Roy Peter Clark, shares his wisdom about the five things every writer he's ever taught wants to learn.| Transcript:  https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/roy-pete...

11 Huhti 202334min

Killer bunnies in medieval manuscripts. The strange rules of 'dozen.'

Killer bunnies in medieval manuscripts. The strange rules of 'dozen.'

922. "A dozen of eggs" sounds weird, but why? Rabbits performing violent acts are a common scene in medieval marginalia. But why are they there? Turns out—Monty Python was on to something!| Transcript...

4 Huhti 202321min

The Rosetta Stone and taxes. Is your sufficiency suffonsified?

The Rosetta Stone and taxes. Is your sufficiency suffonsified?

921. Taxes, and the words for them, go back all the way to ancient Egypt. Plus, I have much more to tell you about the phrase "I am sufficiently suffoncified"! It's an especially fun week on the Gramm...

28 Maalis 202314min

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