Lexicon Valley

John McWhorter talks with author Jack Lynch about the sacrilege of modified Shakespeare. 

Gretchen McCulloch talks to John McWhorter about the big meaning behind our favorite little pictograms.

Ann Patty, author of "Living With a Dead Language: My Romance With Latin," talks about her transformative experience of learning Latin.

Sali Tagliamonte, author of Making Waves: The Story of Variationist Sociolinguistics, talks about the underlying disorder of the English Language.

Etymologist and poet Anatoly Liberman says that English is one of the most difficult languages to spell. But we can change that.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

Benjamin K. Bergen, author of the upcoming What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, andOurselves, discusses the science of cursing.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

How an American Revolutionary War figure spawned a new name for a very old game. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

Linguist John McWhorter argues that it makes perfect sense for the speech of black and white Americans to have subtle differences.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

How did Clupea harengus come to signify a diversionary tactic?Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign upfor a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

The earliest known citation for “shit show” is from an English-language translation of a 1970s criminal trial in Germany. But what was the word or phrase being translated? Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

A salty phrase with roots in Ancient Rome has confounded English speakers for centuries. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

Donald Trump calls people (and publications) he doesn’t like “sad.” When did that word become an insult?Lexicon Valley is brought to you by Blue Apron. For less than $10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers right to your door everything you need to create a home-cooked meal. Farm-fresh ingredients are perfectly portioned and come with an easy to follow recipe card—so you can create a delicious dinner in 40 minutes or less. Visit BlueApron.com/lexicon to get your first two meals free.And by Texture, the mobile app that lets you tap directly into the world's most popular magazines, anywhere, using your phone or tablet. Dive deeper into Vogue, People, Esquire, Time—and hundreds more—with interactive content for a richer reading experience. Right now, try Texture for free at Texture.com/lexicon. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

A peculiar insult from the north of England has the Oxford English Dictionary stumped.Lexicon Valley is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, a new video service with more than 5,000 lectures. As a member, you can watch as many lectures as you want on any device. And for a limited time, Lexicon Valley listeners can watch The Fundamentals of Photography for free by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/lexicon.And by Blue Apron. For less than $10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers right to your door everything you need to create a home-cooked meal. Farm-fresh ingredients are perfectly portioned and come with an easy to follow recipe card—so you can create a delicious dinner in 40 minutes or less. Visit BlueApron.com/lexicon to get your first two meals free.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

A pronoun that English borrowed from its Scandinavian neighbors gets new life as a gender neutral alternative to he and she.Lexicon Valley is brought to you by Blue Apron. For less than $10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers right to your door everything you need to create a home-cooked meal. Farm-fresh ingredients are perfectly portioned and come with an easy to follow recipe card—so you can create a delicious dinner in 40 minutes or less. Visit BlueApron.com/lexicon to get your first two meals free.And by Texture, the mobile app that lets you tap directly into the world's most popular magazines, anywhere, using your phone or tablet. Dive deeper into Vogue, People, Esquire, Time—and hundreds more—with interactive content for a richer reading experience. Right now, try Texture for free at Texture.com/lexicon.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk about a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.Lexicon Valley is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, a new video learning service with more than 5,000 lectures. As a member of The Great Courses Plus, you can watch as many lectures as you want, anytime, anywhere, on any device. For a limited time, Lexicon Valley listeners can watch The Fundamentals of Photography for free by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/lexicon.And by Headspace. If you've ever been curious about meditation or would like to reacquaint yourself with the practice, then try the Take 10 program. It's guided meditation for 10 days—10 minutes a day—absolutely free. Give it a try at Headspace.com/lexicon.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com