A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Match Game - 11 May 2026
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Show notes
Why do speakers of the same language have different accents? A lively new book called Why We Talk Funny offers a linguist’s look at how and why accents develop. And: If you’ve “stood up” at a wedding, were you supporting the marriage or objecting to it? Plus, a new expression making the rounds: “AI breath.” It describes writing that seems as though it was artificially generated. Also, how to pronounce Henry David Thoreau’s last name, when the moistures meet, to scare the living daylights out of someone, since Christ left Philadelphia, a cryptic puzzle, how humans evolved the ability to speak, agita, the Dutch roots of coleslaw, Haare auf den Zähnen haben, and It’ll grow hair on your back teeth!
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