A Way with Words

Series produced by A Way with Words

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A Way with Words is a national, lively, hour-long public radio show about language, on the air since 1998. Author/journalist Martha Barnette and linguist/lexicographer Grant Barrett take listener calls about slang, grammar, old sayings, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing well. There are no carriage fees.

Learn more about the show, its hosts, and its history, and read station and listener testimonials on the A Way with Words website.


220 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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This week on A Way with Words: Insider knowledge and expert advice. The word "hipster" might seem recent, but it actually originated in the 1930s, ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KQRU FM LP, WYAP and more


  • Added: Dec 09, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? N...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, WYAP, KNVC Carson City Community Radio and more


  • Added: Dec 02, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KQRU FM LP, KVSC and more


  • Added: Nov 18, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
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The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but how accurate is the script when it comes to the...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, WCMU Michigan, WYAP and more


  • Added: Oct 28, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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A second-generation Filipino-American finds that when he speaks English, his personality is firm, direct, and matter-of-fact. But when he speaks wi...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, WRIR, KQRU FM LP, RadioFreePalmer and more


  • Added: Dec 23, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 6
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Family words, and words about being in a family way. How many different ways ARE there to say you have a baby on the way? Sure, you can say you're ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KQRU FM LP, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Nov 24, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 8
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How would you like to be welcomed to married life by friends and neighbors descending on your home for a noisy celebration, tearing off the labels ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KTXK, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Nov 11, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
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So you've long dreamed of writing fiction, but don't know where to begin? There are lots of ways to get started -- creative writing classes, local ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KVSC, WYAP and more


  • Added: Oct 14, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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Books for word lovers, plus the stories behind some familiar terms. Want a gift for your favorite bibliophile? Martha and Grant have recommendation...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, KNVC Carson City Community Radio and more


  • Added: Nov 04, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 7
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Civil War letters and the opposite of prejudice. A new online archive of Civil War letters offers a vivid portrait of the everyday lives of enliste...

Bought by KUAT, KAWC / Border Radio - KOFA, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KVSC and more


  • Added: Oct 21, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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If you're not using a dictionary to look up puzzling words as you read them, you're missing out on a whole other level of enjoyment. Also, when you...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, WRFA-LP, WYAP and more


  • Added: Oct 07, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
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Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KQRU FM LP, KTXK and more


  • Added: Sep 30, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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Some countries have strict laws about naming babies. New Zealand authorities, for example, denied a request to name some twins Fish and Chips.  Plu...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KQRU FM LP, KVSC and more


  • Added: Sep 23, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
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It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell sugg...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KQRU FM LP, WYAP and more


  • Added: Sep 16, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
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One way to make your new business look trendy is to use two nouns separated by an ampersand, like Peach & Creature . . . or Rainstorm & Egg. A tong...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, KVSC and more


  • Added: Sep 09, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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Of all the letters in the alphabet, which two or three are your favorites? If your short list includes one or more of your initials, that's no acci...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, WYAP and more


  • Added: Sep 02, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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Decisions by dictionary editors, wacky wordplay, and Walt Whitman's soaring verse.  How do lexicographers decide which historical figures deserve a...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, WYAP and more


  • Added: Aug 29, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 8
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A highly anticipated children's book and the epic history behind a familiar vegetable. Fans of illustrator Maurice Sendak are eagerly awaiting the ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, KWMR and more


  • Added: Aug 19, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 12
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Where would you find a sports commentator talking about high cheese and ducks on a pond? Here's a hint: both terms are part of what make the langua...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, KVSC and more


  • Added: Aug 13, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
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Gerrymandering is the practice of redistricting to tip the political scales. Originally, though, this strategy was called "GARY-mandering" with a h...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, KVSC and more


  • Added: Aug 05, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11