That's What They Say
Friday at 4:45 p.m. and Sunday at 9:35 a.m.
Funner, snuck, and LOL are all things that we're hearing people say these days.
That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan studies linguistics and the history of the English language. Each week she'll discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Hector.
That's What They Say airs Fridays at 4:45 p.m. and Sundays at 9:35 a.m. on Michigan Public and you can podcast it here.
Do you have an English or grammar question? Ask us here!
Latest Episodes
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We can pepper our food or pepper our speech or, if the mood strikes us, we can be peppy in a pep rally kind of way. -
‘Tis the season to talk about "‘tis" and "‘twas" and, while we’re at it, "hap."
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If you’re too big for your britches, maybe you’re all mouth and trousers.
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The word "pants" has oodles of good linguistic stories to tell, and that’s no pile of pants.
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It's a time of year when many of us are cooking and eating big meals together which may involve fried food and "small fry."
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Now that we can "download" some "mashups," we should talk about how these words have changed over time.
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As we merrily roll along, we might be moving and shaking, with maybe some shaping in there too.
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We will share some fun linguistic facts about lickety-split, lickety-split.
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From 17th-century England to modern-day gratuities, the evolution of "tip" is a story of linguistic twists and turns that ultimately lead to a surprising conclusion: it's not what you think it stands for.
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Historically, bloodletting and bloodshed have been different things, but the line has blurred. Linguist Anne Curzan breaks down the evolution of words.
