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The Word Nerds

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Category: Society and Culture / Blogs and Commentary
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This weekly podcast explores words, language, and why we say the things we do. It is a relaxed but well informed exploration of language change, slang, taboo words, and other modes of expression on the edge of "standard" language. It will also feature new

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We're changing our blog! (63.5)

Dave Shepherd announces changes to The Word Nerds' blog and feed, which will take place this weekend. The web address for The Word Nerds will remain thewordnerds.org, and the feed address will stay thewordnerds.org/rss.This may mean duplicate downloads for editions of TWN that you have already received from April and May 2006. You can correct this on your end by changing the settings in your podcatcher software so that you are receiving only the most recent episodes of podcasts, not all episodes...

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[ Wed, 24 May 2006 01:14:00 GMT ]

Idioms and Culture (63)

Dave Shepherd welcomes back the North Carolina Nerd, Howard Shepherd, who is home from his travels to Denmark. Dave and Howard respond to several voicemails and emails about ePrime and puns. (1:55) Howard shares his memories of his trip with his students to Hobro Gymnasium in Denmark. (8:53) Revisiting our show on Insidious Idioms, we explain our categories of idiomatic distinctions: national, regional, and socio-economic class differences. (11:36) Music bumper from by "Make Me Understa...

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[ Sat, 20 May 2006 14:18:00 GMT ]

Non-Verbal Communication (62)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang talk about environments in which we communicate without using any words: elevators, restrooms, automobiles, interviews (1:59) Music bumper from "Jona Lee" by Roomful of Blues (12:32) Non-verbal communication in romance, sports, and the classroom (12:51) Music and dance (19:19) Song: "There Ain't No Words," by Harrison Kennedy (22:08) Rude word of the week: "dumb" (25:43) Music bumpe...

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[ Sat, 13 May 2006 22:04:00 GMT ]

Acting and Performance (61)

Dave Shepherd welcomes his wife Barbara once again as a guest Word Nerd. Dave and Barbara, who met in drama school years ago, discuss their shared background as actors. (1:54) The specialized vocabulary of the theatre (5:51) Music bumper from "Overreacting" by Brad Sucks (15:05) Acting and performance in everyday life: the roles we play (15:29) Song: "All the World's a Stage," by Away With the Fairys (19:15) Rude word of the week: "chew the scene...

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[ Sat, 6 May 2006 16:22:00 GMT ]

Race and Language (60)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang welcome a voicemail on the Nerd Number from Hillary Israeli, on modern Hebrew as an invented language. (2:06) Dave and Howard discuss racial labels and epithets, and the boundaries of acceptability. (4:35) Music bumper from "Nada" by Jaime Beauchamp (16:24) Race and identity: what is "race"? (17:01) Song: "Black Madonna," by Sophia Ramos (25:54) Rude word of the week: "halfbreed" (29:06) Music bumper from "Meant to Be" by Rob Costlow (31:52) Race, ethnicity,...

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[ Sat, 29 Apr 2006 19:54:00 GMT ]

Puns (59)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd respond to a voicemail from Chad at Me and the Bean about the secret girl language. (1:58) Dave and Howard explore several different sorts of puns. (4:18) Music bumper from "Nada" by Jaime Beauchamp (11:26) Some serious puns (12:11) Song: "Absinthe Minded," by Adrienne Pierce (16:03) Rude word of the week: "dullard" (as in somebody who just doesn't get puns) (19:03) Music bumper from "Driving Song" by Bob Hughes...

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[ Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:00:00 GMT ]

Music and Language (58)

Barbara Shepherd returns for the second week as a guest Nerd. She and Dave Shepherd respond to an email from Fred Chalfant about Barbara's grandmother's name. (2:52) Dave and Barbara, who are both musicians, talk about the importance of music in their lives. (4:23) Music bumper from "Tonight" by Zach Ashton (9:11) What music does to language: poetry, songs, musical theater, education (9:38) Song: "Singing to Me," by Robin Stine (14:39) Rude word of the week: ...

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[ Sat, 15 Apr 2006 13:30:00 GMT ]

Age and Language (57)

Since Howard Shepherd and Howard Chang are both travelling the world, Dave Shepherd welcomes a special guest Nerd, Barbara Shepherd (the Love of His Life). (1:57) Dave and Barbara talk about their favorite new podcast, Washington Travel Cast, produced by their good friends, Julie and Mark. Join Julie and Mark on podcast walking tours of Washington DC and the surrounding area. (2:46) Dave and Barbara respond to audio feedback from Jenny B. with a mondegreen from childhood. We follow up by quo...

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[ Sat, 8 Apr 2006 17:04:00 GMT ]

Language of Deception (56)

Dave Shepherd welcomes Adam Curry, Ashley Simpson, and Howard Stern to the Word Nerds' studio. APRIL FOOLS! Just kidding! It's really Dave and Howard Chang. Dave and Howard respond to voicemail from Patrick regarding the Rude Word of the Week. (1:59) On April Fools Day, Dave and Howard explore the relationship of language to deception and humor. Dave presents a mental deception he learned from Frank Freer, the late magic dealer in Berlin. (4:06) The trickster in myth; deception and thea...

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[ Sat, 1 Apr 2006 17:14:00 GMT ]

Invented Language (55)

Dave Shepherd revisits a couple of blend-word examples we overlooked last week: "celebutante" and "ruinion." (Thanks to Hillary Israeli.) (1:56) Dave and Howard Shepherd discuss the challenges of trying to remain non-commercial for one year. Our anniversary was the day we recorded this show, March 21, 2006. (2:56) Dave and Howard explore the realm of invented languages--languages artificially constructed for specific purposes. (Thanks to Kevin Thomas and Alexandre Enkerli ...

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[ Sat, 25 Mar 2006 15:54:00 GMT ]

Portmanteau Words (Blend Words) (54)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang respond to voicemail from Paul of The PK and J Show, who has a word-usage question about 'beside' and 'besides.' (1:53) Dave and Howard discuss the formation of blend words, popularly known as 'portmanteau words,' and their effect on language change. (5:06) What are 'good' (effective) and 'bad' (non-effective) blends? (8:20) Music bumper from by 'Stitch Together' by Adam Boucher (14:39) Blends that promote convenience and utility of of speech (15:...

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[ Sat, 18 Mar 2006 17:21:00 GMT ]

Nerds Who Say "Nym" (53)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd respond to voicemail from Art in Vermont about a "computer-generated" mondegreen. (1:53) Dave and Howard explore the "-nym" words of linguistics: terms used to categorize types of words. Our title this week is based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. There is great footage of an interview with the Pythons, just before the American release of Holy Grail, on The Sound of Young America. (3:12) Homonyms (both homophones and homographs) (4:36) Music bumper from...

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[ Sat, 11 Mar 2006 14:27:00 GMT ]

Locker-room Lingo, Pickup Lines, and Flirtation (52)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang explore the language of the locker-room, the emerging way young people talk about each other as sexual beings. (1:55) Song: "There She Goes" by Brother Love (15:39) "What's your sign?" and other pickup lines (20:21) Rude word of the week: "one-night stand" (26:02) Song "Tonight," by Zach Ashton (27:47) Flirtation: kinder, gentler, more sincere than pickup lines? (31:28) Flirtation and the performance of close-up magic (33:22) Please share with us your exper...

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[ Sat, 4 Mar 2006 14:10:00 GMT ]

Fantastic Flubs (51)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd play a voicemail response to Howard's recent rap of Beowulf. (2:29) Howard and Dave discuss speech flubs: malapropisms, spoonerisms, mondegreens, and shibboleths. (3:45) Music bumper from "Jona Lee" by Roomful of Blues (17:18) Spoonerisms--funny sound transpositions (17:37) Song: "Fairest of the Mall" by Griddle (19:27) Rude word of the week: "bass-ackwards" (21:57) Music bumper from "Tonight," by Zach Ashton (24:01) Shibboleths--"pronunciation passwords"...

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[ Sat, 25 Feb 2006 16:10:00 GMT ]

The History of Our Podcast (50)

Dave Shepherd, Howard Chang, and Howard Shepherd look back on how this podcast got started. (Warning: navel-gazing alert!) (2:09) We give a glimpse behind the scenes: how we prepare a show during our "Nerd Nosh." (12:36) Music bumper from "History Repeats" by Jay Snyder (14:20) Our worldwide audience and their nerdy interests (14:44) How we do it: our technical setup, and our usual work-plan for a show (16:50) We do it for free? Well...not absolutely. We would accept your donations, and we ...

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[ Sat, 18 Feb 2006 15:31:00 GMT ]

Governmental Gab (49)

Dave Shepherd plays the first feedback we've received on the new Nerd Number, about our show on onomotapoeia (2:45)Dave and Howard Chang explore words and metaphors describing systems of governance and polity. Each of them reads a poem about the ship of state. (4:01)Music bumper from 'Court of Greedy Kings,' by Val Davis (10:02)Governance, the governator, and other words about those who govern (10:17)Song: 'Peace Wins the Election' by Maria Daines (19:38)Rude word of the week: 'tyrant' (23:15)Mu...

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[ Sat, 11 Feb 2006 20:19:00 GMT ]

Rhythm and Meaning (48)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd talk about rhythm and the significance of language cadence. (1:58) Rhythm in the "frozen register" (a term we picked up from Prof. Cheryl Carter) (3:33) Song: "Rhythm Hymn," by The Franks (9:44) Rhythm as a mnemonic device. We recall "A Prayer of St. Chrysotom," not having heard it in over 20 years. (14:51) Music bumper from "Move to my Beat" by Cool Cluster (17:27) Rude word of the week: "stumblebum" (18:04) Song: "Back Beat Rhythm," by Los Blancos (20:38...

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[ Sat, 4 Feb 2006 13:51:00 GMT ]

Weather Words (47)

Dave Shepherd explains why we have a new Nerd Number (206-600-NERD). For the next couple weeks you'll hear two different numbers mentioned in alternating shows, since we pre-recorded several shows before switching phone numbers. (1:52)Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang talk about the weather without doing anything about it. (This is a reference to a quote from Mark Twain.) (2:16)Song: "Rainfall," by Hungry Lucy (7:28)Weather metaphors (11:20)Dave talks about the play Alle Wetter (Thunderation) by Er...

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[ Sat, 28 Jan 2006 13:49:00 GMT ]

Onomatopoeia and Other Word Music (46)

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd get a buzz out of talking about onomatopoeia. (Did I spell that right?) (1:52) Song: "Crash, Bang, Boom," by Ellen Rosner (5:48) Animal sounds around the world (source: Sounds of the World's Animals website) (8:07) Music bumper from "Small Thuds in the Night" by Happy Ashtray (12:22) Rude word of the week: the Bronx cheer (which we can't really spell out) (13:05) Song: "The Buzz is Over," by Macle (15:05) Other examples of "word music" (18:54) Alliteratio...

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[ Sat, 21 Jan 2006 21:38:00 GMT ]

Etymonline.com needs your help (45A)

A short plea for help, suggestions, support for the Online Etymology Dictionary, maintained as a labor of love by Douglas Harper, and falling victim to its own success. time: 2:27 size: 2.3 Mb...

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[ Tue, 17 Jan 2006 02:27:00 GMT ]

Our Favorite Words (45)

Dave Shepherd, Howard Shepherd, and Howard Chang share some of their favorite words--words that Word Nerds would like. (1:57) Words whose sounds we like (2:57) wlonk humuhumunukunukuapua'a aglet "SAT words"--words every smart high school student should know. (6:53) indefatigable benevolent malevolent Song: "Certain Words in Uncertain Times," by This Providence (8:45) Words whose etymologies interest us (11:56) helicopter dactyl Music bumper from "The Helicopter" by Boblex (13:47) R...

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[ Sat, 14 Jan 2006 14:54:00 GMT ]

Metaphor and Metonymy (44)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd introduce a voicemail from Jeff in Houston, Texas, on the infrequency of Christmas (1:56) Howard and Dave make a conceptual leap by exploring metaphor and metonymy. (3:25) Song: "Similar," by Erich Specht (11:34) Promo for Will and Iris (14:49) The development of metaphor in linguistic maturity (15:13) Music bumper from "Like Shine" by Likeshine (17:17) Rude word of the week: "asshole" (17:43) Song: "Like Tears in Rain," by P.W. Fenton and The Second War...

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[ Sat, 7 Jan 2006 07:04:00 GMT ]

Games Nerds Play (43)

Dave Shepherd explains that the only reason this show is rated "R" is because of the second song. (It would otherwise probably be PG.) (1:59)Howard Chang, Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd talk about the langauge of games and playing. (2:19)Song: "Play My Game," by Heidi McCurdy (6:35)More gaming language--"frolic," "cavort," "puzzle," "pun" (9:35)Music bumper from "Games" by Shaun (15:30)Greetings from Simran in India. (15:53)Rude word of the week: "player/playa" (16:16)Song: "Playa's Fo Life,"...

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[ Sat, 31 Dec 2005 06:42:00 GMT ]

Word Nerds in 2005--A Look Back (42)

Dave Shepherd introduces a look back over the previous 41 editions of The Word Nerds, on behalf of Howard Shepherd and Howard Chang. (3:27) Greeting from Annik Rubens of Schlaflos in M�nchen (7:10) Song: "Why," by The Day Traders (7:31) Greeting from Sébastien of French Podclass (11:26) Clips from the past year: Clichés (11:40) The Power of Names (14:20) Greeting from Paul Nicholls of podcastpaul.com (17:40) Regional Speech and Our Roots (18:06) Greeting from Chad ("Me...

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[ Sat, 24 Dec 2005 05:03:00 GMT ]

Insidious Idioms (41)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd define insidious idioms--quirky forms of expression that don't seem quirky to native speakers. (2:33)Song: "Figure It Out," by Cara Aley (7:00)Embedded metaphor versus insidious idiom (10:02)Music bumper from "Like Shine" byLikeshine. (18:18)Rude word of the week: "piss off" (18:46)Song: "So Long, Goodby," by The Jimi Ruccolo Band (23:12)Cross cultural confusions and insidious idioms (26:25) Annik Rubens chats with Dave about cross-cultural confusion in Germany ...

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[ Sat, 17 Dec 2005 17:03:00 GMT ]

Curiosity (40)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd explore the etymology of words used to talk about curiosity. (Thanks to Paul Lawler for this topic suggestion.) (1:54)curiousquidnuncSong: "Why," by Mandi Perkins (6:19)More about the dark side of curiosity (10:30)eavesdroppervoyeurgossipSchadenfreudespying, espionageinterrogationMusic bumper from "Why" by Don't Call Me Dude. (16:23)Rude word of the week: "MYOB (mind your own business)" (17:06)Song: "Why," by The Day Traders (19:12)Curiosity as a good thing (the q...

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[ Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:48:00 GMT ]

Curiosity (40)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd explore the etymology of words used to talk about curiosity. (Thanks to Paul Lawler for this topic suggestion.) (1:54)curiousquidnuncSong: "Why," by Mandi Perkins (6:19)More about the dark side of curiosity (10:30)eavesdroppervoyeurgossipSchadenfreudespying, espionageinterrogationMusic bumper from "Why" by Don't Call Me Dude (16:23)Rude word of the week: "MYOB (mind your own business)" (17:06)Song: "Why," by The Day Traders (19:12)Curiosity as a good thing (the qu...

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[ Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:48:00 GMT ]

Word Nerds in History (39)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd tip their hats to the great, famous, and influential word nerds in the modern history of the English language. (1:49)Song: "Talk, Talk, Talk," by Cheryl B. Engelhardt (16:17 )Our friend Jason from Perth, Australia sends greetings. (18:37)Rude word of the week: "old fart" (18:46)Song: "Mark My Words," by Granian (22:32)Word nerds in the mass media (up to, and including podcasting) (25:44) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music NetworkTheme music by Kick the Cat, co...

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[ Sat, 3 Dec 2005 17:00:00 GMT ]

Color Metaphors (38)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd talk about a virtual rainbow of color metaphors. (2:03)Song: "Blue Bird Tattoo," by Circe Link (20:02)Rude word of the week: "yellow" (23:06)Song: "Lime," by Persona (26:22)The many faces of "green," plus a bit of brown-nosing (29:53) Music courtesy of GarageBand.comTheme music by Kick the Cattime: 35:17size: 16.2 Mbrating: PG (Everything's just fine, until we talk about brown-nosing at the end.)...

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[ Sat, 26 Nov 2005 17:03:00 GMT ]

Cliches (37)

Dave Shepherd explains why we put a "ratings" announcement at the beginning of each show. (1:51)Howard Shepherd and Dave give it 110% as they explore clichés. (3:04)Song: "Friday Night," by Amy Dalley (13:33)Rude word of the week: "shit happens" (17:21)Song: "Sick As a Dog," by Brad Sucks (21:04)Clichés from the news (24:12) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music NetworkTheme music by Kick the Cat, courtesy of GarageBand.comtime: 31:25size: 14.4 Mbrating: PG-13 (Our rude word is one ...

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[ Sat, 19 Nov 2005 18:46:00 GMT ]

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