The Pandemic's Effect on Language
Turns out that some languages are less intelligible through a mask than others, and, believe it or not, it all depends on how often you use certain consonants. It’s called the McGurk effect and it’s t...
22 Sep 202131min
What Do They Speak in Afghanistan?
Dari and Pashto are the two major official languages of Afghanistan. One, says John McWhorter, is “disarmingly approachable” while the other is “deliciously intimidating.” Visit ...
7 Sep 202136min
The Morphing of Critical Race Theory
What did CRT originally mean, and what does it mean now? What are children actually being taught? And why do some terms tend to become so thorny over time? Visit Lex...
24 Aug 202129min
Mare of Easttown and the Philly Accent
In the 7-part crime drama, Mare of Easttown, Kate Winslet plays a flannel-clad cop with a thirst for Rolling Rock, an appetite for hoagies and a tendency to pronounce water more like wooder. John McWh...
10 Aug 202134min
English Has a Bee in Its Bonnet
Not all languages lend themselves to spelling competitions. Plus: A special subscriber-only bonus segment — get them all by becoming a paying subscriber to Lexicon Valley. Visit ...
28 Jul 202140min
Russian Is My Mt. Everest
How the novel Anna Karenina sparked a quest to learn Tolstoy's native tongue. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production....
6 Jul 202137min
Languages of Northern Africa
Berber, Somali and other fascinating languages of the region. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 216: "Lan...
22 Jun 202143min
You’re Gonna Hafta
Linguistic inspiration from a television series about the Royal Family. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. ...
8 Jun 202144min
