Are half the words in English from French?
More or Less7 Okt 2023

Are half the words in English from French?

Are almost half the words in the English language of French origin? It’s a claim one of our loyal listeners found surprising. Tim Harford talks to Dr Beth Malory, lecturer in English Linguistics at University College London, who explains why so many words derived from French have ended up in English.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Daniel Gordon Series Producer: Jon Bithrey Editor: Richard Vadon Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot

(Picture: A French dictionary showing the entry 'Dictionnaire' Credit: NSA Digital Archive / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

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Is America’s conviction rate really 99.5%?

Is America’s conviction rate really 99.5%?

Conrad Black has claimed that 99.5% of prosecution cases in America end up in convictions. Is it really this high? We try to estimate how this compares to the number of convictions in other parts of the world.

5 Nov 20129min

Predicting L'Aquila Earthquake: is it right to blame the scientists?

Predicting L'Aquila Earthquake: is it right to blame the scientists?

This week six scientists and one ex-government official were sentenced to prison for multiple manslaughter following the L’Aquila earthquake in Italy. Part of the case against them was the falsely reassuring comments they made before the earthquake struck. Will this deter scientists from giving advice in the future?

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Life-saving economics

Life-saving economics

Professor Al Roth tells Tim Harford about the work for which he has just been awarded the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

22 Okt 20129min

Predicting the global population

Predicting the global population

Predicting the global population: does anyone really know what’s going to happen?

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Predicting the Presidency

Predicting the Presidency

Nate Silver tells us who will win the 2012 US election - and how he knows.

8 Okt 20129min

Plenty more fish in the sea?

Plenty more fish in the sea?

Only 100 cod are left in the North Sea according to newspapers. Is this the most wrong headline in More or Less history?

1 Okt 20129min

Factchecking America

Factchecking America

US Presidential Election factchecked. Is Mitt Romney right to say that 47% of Americans pay no tax? And how many jobs has President Obama really created?

24 Sep 20129min

Investigating crime statistics

Investigating crime statistics

Ruth Alexander investigates Sweden's high rape rate, and finds out which countries are the surprise leaders of the world kidnap league. Plus, who went home from the London 2012 Games with more medals – Olympians or Paralympians? This programme was first broadcast on the BBC World Service

17 Sep 20129min

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