Why 'forte' has three pronunciations. What is 'playing the dozens'? Ornish

Why 'forte' has three pronunciations. What is 'playing the dozens'? Ornish

1156. This week, we look at the pronunciation chaos surrounding "forte" and "pianoforte," from the French fencing term meaning "strong point" to the Italian musical direction meaning "loud." Then, we look at "playing the dozens" — the African American insult game with a mysterious origin.

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Episoder(1012)

410GG Just Because

410GG Just Because

It's tricky to pick apart the grammar of a sentence such as "Just because you’re correct doesn’t mean you’re not annoying." Guest writer Neal Whitman explains why such sentences work and what they rea...

30 Mar 20146min

408 - Why We Don't End Sentences With "You're"

408 - Why We Don't End Sentences With "You're"

Some words have strong forms, weak forms, and even weaker forms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Mar 20146min

407GG Why Canadians Don't Really Say "Aboot"

407GG Why Canadians Don't Really Say "Aboot"

Gretchen McCulloch from the All Things Linguistic explains why Canadians don't say "aboot" and why most Americans think they do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Mar 20147min

406GG Begging the Question

406GG Begging the Question

Language is changing but that doesn't mean you have to go with the flow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Mar 20144min

405 - Is Cash Money a Regional Expression?

405 - Is Cash Money a Regional Expression?

Is Cash Money a Regional Expression? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Feb 20146min

404 - Why "Substitute" Is Weird

404 - Why "Substitute" Is Weird

Why it’s hard to talk about substituting one thing for another without confusing people. Guest Writer: Neal Whitman Sponsor: AudiblePodcast.com/GG Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

27 Feb 20149min

403 - Preventative and Orientate

403 - Preventative and Orientate

Today, we’re going to talk about two cases in which English has two words that mean the same thing and whether one choice is better than the other. Preventative and preventive, and orient and orientat...

22 Feb 20145min

402 - Little Bunny Foo Foo

402 - Little Bunny Foo Foo

The Hoax Behind Little Bunny Foo Foo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Feb 20148min

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