How did our holidays become so 'corny'? Why do some words have accent marks in English? Cubby hole

How did our holidays become so 'corny'? Why do some words have accent marks in English? Cubby hole

1063. Why is it called "corned beef" when there’s no corn involved? We look at how the word "corn" evolved to mean different things over time. Then, we look at the role of accent marks in English — why some words keep them, why others lose them, and what they tell us about language.

The "corn" 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.

The "diacritic" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick & Dirty Tips editor and digital pioneer who's been spinning words into gold since before cat videos ruled the internet. She created one of the first online writing workshops, and she's published thousands of articles on the art of writing. These days, she leads personal narrative writing retreats and helps writers find their voice. Visit her at ChanterelleStoryStudio.com.

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309 GG Why Do Kids Say "Versing"?

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308 GG Should We Abandon Standard Spelling?

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310 GG Stationary, Stationery, Complement, and Compliment

310 GG Stationary, Stationery, Complement, and Compliment

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3 Feb 20122min

111 GG Everybody Wants Some

111 GG Everybody Wants Some

Indefinite pronouns. The Grammar Girl print book is now available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/2pkej7 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

27 Jan 20125min

306 GG "The Night Circus": Well Done Second Person Narrative

306 GG "The Night Circus": Well Done Second Person Narrative

Did you know there are three kinds of second person? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

13 Jan 20127min

305 GG Where Did the @ Symbol Come From?

305 GG Where Did the @ Symbol Come From?

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6 Jan 20125min

304 GG Should You Point Out Errors?

304 GG Should You Point Out Errors?

How can you correct people's errors without coming off like a jerk? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

30 Des 20115min

030 GG Sentence Fragments

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Learn to recognize them. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

23 Des 20115min

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