What dictionary labels tell us about words. Why we say 'mama'. DU, STU, and LO.

What dictionary labels tell us about words. Why we say 'mama'. DU, STU, and LO.

1079. Ever wonder what labels like "informal," "archaic," or "offensive" mean in a dictionary entry? We explain how different dictionaries use labels to describe when, where, and how to use words. Then, we explore why so many babies say "dada" first and why babies say "mama" almost everywhere.

The "dictionary labels" segment was written by Susan Herman, a retired U.S. government multidisciplined language analyst, analytic editor, and instructor.

The "mama" 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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Episoder(963)

072 The The -- The Double The

072 The The -- The Double The

The The -- The Double The Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

23 Aug 20075min

070 The Asterisk (Trust Me About Grammar, Not About Baseball)

070 The Asterisk (Trust Me About Grammar, Not About Baseball)

The Asterisk (Trust Me About Grammar, Not About Baseball) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 Aug 20073min

068 Unlawful Versus Illegal

068 Unlawful Versus Illegal

Unlawful Versus Illegal Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 Jul 20074min

067 Your Versus You're

067 Your Versus You're

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20 Jul 20076min

065 Regionalisms

065 Regionalisms

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29 Jun 20077min

064 Between You and Me

064 Between You and Me

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26 Jun 20074min

056 Generating Story Ideas and Overcoming Writer's Block

056 Generating Story Ideas and Overcoming Writer's Block

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22 Mai 20078min

055 Misplaced Modifiers

055 Misplaced Modifiers

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18 Mai 20076min

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