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Words You Should Know

Words You Should Know

By: Kris Spisak
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A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because Ben Franklin and Kurt Cobain both influenced our modern English language, spelling memes deserve to be debunked, and our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution of and the influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Words. Language. Human communication. Everything begins here. Language Learning
Episodes
  • #45 – A Grammar Mayday Over “Mayday” & the Latest in Words You Should Know

    #45 – A Grammar Mayday Over “Mayday” & the Latest in Words You Should Know
    Oct 13 2021
    Today, we’re talking distress signals—not because we’re feeling distressed necessarily, at least I hope note, but because there are secret grammar mistakes hiding in plain sight if you know where to look for them. Really? Yes indeed. Or if you don’t have language correction tendencies, let’s bring it down to a simple question: where does the word “Mayday” come from? And here's another question: How about S.O.S.? Dictionary updates, dictionary attacks, the language choices of Helsinki, and robots communicating with blockchain technology! Oh, there's so much to cover. Find out the latest in writing and communications news and more in Episode #45 of The "Words You Should Know" podcast.
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    14 mins
  • #44 – Pleased as Punchy Punch with a Drink & the Latest in Words You Should Know

    #44 – Pleased as Punchy Punch with a Drink & the Latest in Words You Should Know
    Sep 22 2021
    Where does the expression "pleased as punch" come from? What about "punch drunk"? Or "punch line"? Or the drink called "punch"? How does David Copperfield fit into this conversation? Word origin stories can be fascinating! A long lost King Arthur manuscript decoded and explored, the latest developments in machine learning and language processing technology. Breaking news about my debut novel! Oh, there's so much to cover. Find out the latest in writing and communications news and more in Episode #44 of The "Words You Should Know" podcast.
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    11 mins
  • “The Plural form of ‘You’ Already Exists” – encore episode

    “The Plural form of ‘You’ Already Exists” – encore episode
    Sep 8 2021
    Sometimes the world seems annoyed that there just isn’t a word to express exactly what you want. There’s no English word for that intimate feeling of sitting around a fire in the winter with close friends (though it exists in Danish: hygge). There’s no word for the feeling of anticipation when you’re waiting for someone to show up at your house and you keep going outside to see if they’re there yet (though it exists in Inuit: iktsuarpok). Or what about the word for that panicky hesitation just before you have to introduce someone whose name you can’t quite remember? (The Scots call this tortle.) Of course, sometimes the word you need seems simple. How do you differentiate a singular versus plural “you”? But here’s the secret. For this one, at least, the English language already has an answer. Welcome to the summer series of the Words You Should Know podcast, where we’ll revisit “Story Stop Tour” events of earlier this year and popular episodes you may have missed from years past. This is the encore of Episode 14: “The plural form of 'you' already exists (and all these other words you’ve always wanted),” originally released January 23, 2019. Enjoy the show!
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    8 mins
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