The Word Nerds Archive

Dave Shepherd announces changes to The Word Nerds' blog and feed, which will take place this weekend. The web address for The Word Nerds will remain thewordnerds.org, and the feed address is now thewordnerds.org/feed.This may mean duplicate downloads for editions of TWN that you have already received from April and May 2006. You can correct this on your end by changing the settings in your podcatcher software so that you are receiving only the most recent episodes of podcasts, not all episodes.If, despite this, you still receive duplicate downloads, I apologize. After this weekend (5/27/06) you should only get one copy of each show through our feed.Cross your fingers! Let's hope this works! This will mean a more accessible comment function on our blog, as well as a bulletin-board-style forum in coming weeks.time: 3:22size: 2.4 Mb

Dave Shepherd welcomes back the North Carolina Nerd, Howard Shepherd, who is home from his travels to Denmark. Dave and Howard respond to several voicemails and emails about ePrime and puns. (1:55) Howard shares his memories of his trip with his students to Hobro Gymnasium in Denmark. (8:53) Revisiting our show on Insidious Idioms, we explain our categories of idiomatic distinctions: national, regional, and socio-economic class differences. (11:36) Music bumper from by "Make Me Understand" by Matt Thorpe (15:07) International textures: expressing the same idea in different languages, and the perils of mistaken translation (15:43) Song: "Fill Me In," by Hollins Steele (21:42) Rude word of the week: "pot to piss in" (25:41) Music bumper from "Dancing Cow" by Liquid Floor (27:25) Variations of idioms by class and region (28:06) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 36:45 size: 25.3 Mb rating: PG-13 (We discuss some amusing mis-translations of American idioms, some of which have sexual implications in other countries and languages.) Tags: language, idiom, culture

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang talk about environments in which we communicate without using any words: elevators, restrooms, automobiles, interviews (1:59) Music bumper from "Jona Lee" by Roomful of Blues (12:32) Non-verbal communication in romance, sports, and the classroom (12:51) Music and dance (19:19) Song: "There Ain't No Words," by Harrison Kennedy (22:08) Rude word of the week: "dumb" (25:43) Music bumper from "Flag of Democracy" by Ernie Van Veen (28:09) Posture, body language, and gesture: making a good (or bad) impression without words (28:34) Substitutes for body language in the cyberworld (32:22) People who like to talk with gestures (33:11) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat Closing music from "Grapes" by Evan Stone time: 37:50 size: 26 Mb rating: PG-13 (We discuss the etiquette of the men's room, as well as the sexual implications of social dancing.) Tags: language, nonverbal

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang welcome a voicemail on the Nerd Number from Hillary Israeli, on modern Hebrew as an invented language. (2:06) Dave and Howard discuss racial labels and epithets, and the boundaries of acceptability. (4:35) Music bumper from "Nada" by Jaime Beauchamp (16:24) Race and identity: what is "race"? (17:01) Song: "Black Madonna," by Sophia Ramos (25:54) Rude word of the week: "halfbreed" (29:06) Music bumper from "Meant to Be" by Rob Costlow (31:52) Race, ethnicity, and diversity in American English (32:29) The legal language of race and ethnicity (33:43) Ethnic labels as names for sports teams (35:00) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat Closing music from "Grapes" by Evan Stone time: 39:57 size: 27.4 Mb rating: R (We explore many aspects of race and speech, including many of the most hurtful and belittling racial epithets in modern American English.) Tags: language, race

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd respond to a voicemail from Chad at Me and the Bean about the secret girl language. (1:58) Dave and Howard explore several different sorts of puns. (4:18) Music bumper from "Nada" by Jaime Beauchamp (11:26) Some serious puns (12:11) Song: "Absinthe Minded," by Adrienne Pierce (16:03) Rude word of the week: "dullard" (as in somebody who just doesn't get puns) (19:03) Music bumper from "Driving Song" by Bob Hughes (22:01) Bilingual puns (22:40) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 28:19 size: 19.5 Mb rating: PG (Puns often have double or triple meanings. Our song celebrates a rather infamous alcoholic drink.) Tags: language, linguistics

Barbara Shepherd returns for the second week as a guest Nerd. She and Dave Shepherd respond to an email from Fred Chalfant about Barbara's grandmother's name. (2:52) Dave and Barbara, who are both musicians, talk about the importance of music in their lives. (4:23) Music bumper from "Tonight" by Zach Ashton (9:11) What music does to language: poetry, songs, musical theater, education (9:38) Song: "Singing to Me," by Robin Stine (14:39) Rude word of the week: "tone deaf" (18:09) Promo for The Sound of Young America (21:23) The special language of music: re-purposed words in English and musical vocabulary in Italian (22:04) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 31:04 size: 21.3 Mb rating: G (We talk about singing to our children when they were very young. Aw! Isn't that sweet?) Categories: language, linguistics, barbara, music

Since Howard Shepherd and Howard Chang are both travelling the world, Dave Shepherd welcomes a special guest Nerd, Barbara Shepherd (the Love of His Life). (1:57) Dave and Barbara talk about their favorite new podcast, Washington Travel Cast, produced by their good friends, Julie and Mark. Join Julie and Mark on podcast walking tours of Washington DC and the surrounding area. (2:46) Dave and Barbara respond to audio feedback from Jenny B. with a mondegreen from childhood. We follow up by quoting a great Word Nerds mondegreen, experienced by Carrie and originally mentioned in a comment thread. (4:00) Dave and Barbara, both Baby Boomers, talk about how their generation has shaped language. (6:55) Music bumper from by 'Telepop' by The Jerrys (10:09) Being children, grandchildren, and parents: how these relationships color our perception of language (10:44) Song: '21 Years,' by 77 South (18:11) Rude word of the week: 'square' (21:40) Music bumper from "Essence" by Evan Stone (25:08) Trend-watching: Barbara talks about trends that may have an impact on language and culture. (25:31) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 32:00 size: 22 Mb rating: PG (In our Rude Word segment we make passing reference to a marijuana cigarette, but otherwise it's squeaky-clean.) Categories: language, linguistics, barbara

Dave Shepherd welcomes Adam Curry, Ashley Simpson, and Howard Stern to the Word Nerds' studio. APRIL FOOLS! Just kidding! It's really Dave and Howard Chang. Dave and Howard respond to voicemail from Patrick regarding the Rude Word of the Week. (1:59) On April Fools Day, Dave and Howard explore the relationship of language to deception and humor. Dave presents a mental deception he learned from Frank Freer, the late magic dealer in Berlin. (4:06) The trickster in myth; deception and theatrical performance (10:25) Music bumper from by "Had Me Fooled" by The Defibulators (15:12) Dave's magic teacher, Jamy Ian Swiss, is the Honest Liar. (15:57) Con games, hustles, deception in sales, and the Nigerian Prince email scam (16:52) Song: "I Don't Wanna Lie," by Beatrice Ericsson (25:57) Rude word of the week: "quack" (29:30) Music bumper from "Just Looking" by The Jerrys (31:07) Official and public deceptions: wagging the dog, and the "War Magician" (31:37) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat Closing music from "Grapes" by Evan Stone time: 38:39 size: 26.5 Mb rating: PG (Howard's discussion of the trickster in mythology is briefly just slightly violent; otherwise this show is kid-safe.) Categories: language, linguistics, magic

Dave Shepherd revisits a couple of blend-word examples we overlooked last week: "celebutante" and "ruinion." (Thanks to Hillary Israeli.) (1:56) Dave and Howard Shepherd discuss the challenges of trying to remain non-commercial for one year. Our anniversary was the day we recorded this show, March 21, 2006. (2:56) Dave and Howard explore the realm of invented languages--languages artificially constructed for specific purposes. (Thanks to Kevin Thomas and Alexandre Enkerli for the topic suggestion.) (4:34) Language that limits: Parental code (8:24) The created sub-languages of childhood (9:44) Pig Latin (10:33) Javanais (11:44) Verlan (12:16) Music bumper from "Telepop" by The Jerrys (13:26) Codes: Morse code, building codes, speech codes and double-talk (14:59) Cryptology, shortwave number-code stations (16:28) The Navajo "Code-Talkers" from World War II (18:03) Song: 'Code' by Brooks Newton (18:39) Cockney rhyming slang (our source: Jeremy Alderton's Cockney Rhyming Slang Dictionary) (22:04) Rude word of the week: "Donald Trump" (an example of Cockney rhyming slang, based on the name of the famous American tycoon and television reality-show star) (23:42) Music bumper from "Trifle 3" by Fuzzy Logic (25:02) Language that expands: Fantasy languages: Elvish, Klingon (25:56) Esperanto (27:05) E-Prime (29:48) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network and GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 33:14 size: 22.9 Mb rating: PG (Our Rude Word alludes to a mildly rude word for defecation.) Categories: language, linguistics

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang respond to voicemail from Paul of The PK and J Show, who has a word-usage question about 'beside' and 'besides.' (1:53) Dave and Howard discuss the formation of blend words, popularly known as 'portmanteau words,' and their effect on language change. (5:06) What are 'good' (effective) and 'bad' (non-effective) blends? (8:20) Music bumper from by 'Stitch Together' by Adam Boucher (14:39) Blends that promote convenience and utility of of speech (15:05) Clips and clip-blends (21:33) Song: 'Brunching Britney and the Homeboy,' by PC Muñoz (24:40) Blend words from advertising and marketing (29:00) Rude word of the week: 'shart' (31:11) Music bumper from 'Court of Greedy Kings' by Val Davis (32:46) Whimsical blends and awkward, forced blends (33:03) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat Closing music from 'Grapes' by Evan Stone time: 38:11 size: 26.3 Mb rating: PG (We manage to define our Rude Word without being rude at all.) Categories: language, linguistics

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd respond to voicemail from Art in Vermont about a 'computer-generated' mondegreen. (1:53) Dave and Howard explore the '-nym' words of linguistics: terms used to categorize types of words. Our title this week is based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. There is great footage of an interview with the Pythons, just before the American release of Holy Grail, on The Sound of Young America. (3:12) Homonyms (both homophones and homographs) (4:36) Music bumper from 'Trifle 3' by Fuzzy Logic (10:28) Synonyms (10:58) Antonyms (14:10) Contronyms, also known as auto-antonyms (16:19) Song: 'Homonym' by Foolish Fortune (18:30) Rude word of the week: 'snafu' (an acronym) (23:03) Music bumper from 'Baja Taxi' by Brain Buckit (26:26) A request by Annik Rubens for votes at podcastlogo.com. Help select a recognizable badge or logo for podcast listeners. (27:01) Retronyms: a flash from the past (27:40) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network and GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 34:54 size: 23.9 Mb rating: R (Our Rude Word segment contains the 'F-bomb' several times. We also talk about Woody's World of Penis Euphemisms in our Synonyms segment.) Categories: language, linguistics

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang explore the language of the locker-room, the emerging way young people talk about each other as sexual beings. (1:55) Song: 'There She Goes' by Brother Love (15:39) 'What's your sign?' and other pickup lines (20:21) Rude word of the week: 'one-night stand' (26:02) Song 'Tonight,' by Zach Ashton (27:47) Flirtation: kinder, gentler, more sincere than pickup lines? (31:28) Flirtation and the performance of close-up magic (33:22) Please share with us your experiences with pickup lines and flirtation. (35:57) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat Closing music from 'Grapes' by Evan Stone time: 38:23 size: 26.3 Mb rating: R (We discuss the way adolescents and adults talk about sex.) Categories: language, linguistics, sexuality

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd play a voicemail response to Howard's recent rap of Beowulf. (2:29) Howard and Dave discuss speech flubs: malapropisms, spoonerisms, mondegreens, and shibboleths. (Mondegreens are celebrated by Amanda, the Bean of Me and the Bean.) (3:45) Music bumper from 'Jona Lee' by Roomful of Blues (17:18) Spoonerisms--funny sound transpositions (17:37) Song: 'Fairest of the Mall' by Griddle (19:27) Rude word of the week: 'bass-ackwards' (21:57) Music bumper from 'Tonight,' by Zach Ashton (24:01) Shibboleths--'pronunciation passwords' (24:30) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 31:43 size: 21.8 Mb rating: PG (Nothing much ruder than our Rude Word this week--but you wouldn't want your six-year-old to talk like this, probably.) Categories: language, linguistics

Dave Shepherd, Howard Chang, and Howard Shepherd look back on how this podcast got started. (Warning: navel-gazing alert!) (2:09) We give a glimpse behind the scenes: how we prepare a show during our 'Nerd Nosh.' (12:36) Music bumper from 'History Repeats' by Jay Snyder (14:20) Our worldwide audience and their nerdy interests (14:44) How we do it: our technical setup, and our usual work-plan for a show (16:50) We do it for free? Well, yes, but... We would accept your donations, and we might even take a sponsor sometime. (24:06) Music bumper from 'Lost in History' by Real Smash (25:58) Rude word of the week: 'sellout' (26:24) Song: 'Repeat History,' by Jeremy Robinson (28:08) Where are we going? Our musings about this show's future (30:56) (We promise we will get back to talking about words next week, honest!) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Time: 36:33 Size: 25.1 Mb Photo of the Word Nerds in the studio by Barbara Shepherd Rating: PG (Never really rude; a couple of off-hand mild vulgarities) Categories: language, linguistics, podcasting

Dave Shepherd plays the first feedback we've received on the new Nerd Number, about our show on onomotapoeia (2:45) Dave and Howard Chang explore words and metaphors describing systems of governance and polity. Each of them reads a poem about the ship of state. (4:01) Music bumper from 'Court of Greedy Kings,' by Val Davis (10:02) Governance, the governator, and other words about those who govern (10:17) Song: 'Peace Wins the Election' by Maria Daines (19:38) Rude word of the week: 'tyrant' (23:15) Music bumper from 'Necessary Rain,' by Emile Westergaard (29:02) Forms of government and words to describe them (29:34) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat Closing music from 'Grapes' by Evan Stone. time: 35:47 size: 16.4 Mb rating: G (We hope people of all ages will learn about their government, wherever they are.) Categories: language, linguistics, government

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd talk about rhythm and the significance of language cadence. (1:58) Rhythm in the 'frozen register' (a term we picked up from Prof. Cheryl Carter) (3:33) Song: 'Rhythm Hymn,' by The Franks (9:44) Rhythm as a mnemonic device. We recall 'A Prayer of St. Chrysotom,' not having heard it in over 20 years. (14:51) Music bumper from 'Move to my Beat' by Cool Cluster (17:27) Rude word of the week: 'stumblebum' (18:04) Song: 'Back Beat Rhythm,' by Los Blancos (20:38) Rhythm as a social skill. Howard gangsta-raps the introduction to Beowulf (24:52) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 28:48 size: 13.2 Mb rating: PG (Oops! We just discovered that our first song has a rude word for 'poop' in it--twice! Otherwise this is an innocuous show this week.) Categories: language, linguistics

Dave Shepherd explains why we have a new Nerd Number (206-600-NERD). For the next couple weeks you'll hear two different numbers mentioned in alternating shows, since we pre-recorded several shows before switching phone numbers. (1:52) Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang talk about the weather without doing anything about it. (This is a reference to a quote from Mark Twain.) (2:16) Song: 'Rainfall,' by Hungry Lucy (7:28) Weather metaphors (11:20) Dave talks about the play Alle Wetter (Thunderation) by Erich Mühsam (18:45) Music bumper from 'Necessary Rain' by Emile Westergaard (20:29) Rude word of the week: 'fair-weather friend' (21:01) Song: 'Pray for Rain,' by Allison Crowe (23:36) Ways of describing the weather (27:55) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 34:55 size: 16 Mb rating: G (Schoolchildren everywhere are waiting for snow--or even wintry mix.) Categories: language, linguistics, metaphor, weather

Dave Shepherd and Howard Shepherd get a buzz out of talking about onomatopoeia. (Did I spell that right?) (1:52) Song: 'Crash Bang Boom!' by Ellen Rosner (5:48) Animal sounds around the world (source: Sounds of the World's Animals website) (8:07) Music bumper from 'Small Thuds in the Night' by Happy Ashtray (12:22) Rude word of the week: the Bronx cheer (which we can't really spell out) (13:05) Song: 'The Buzz is Over,' by Macle (15:05) Other examples of 'word music' (18:54) Alliteration Assonance Consonance Rhyme Phonetic intensives Howard reads 'Meeting at Night,' by Robert Browning (21:48) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 24:47 size: 11.4 Mb rating: G (Onomatopoeia is really a kid's thing. We say 'fart' in our Rude Word segment, but that's as rude as it gets.)

A short plea for help, suggestions, support for the Online Etymology Dictionary, maintained as a labor of love by Douglas Harper, and falling victim to its own success. time: 2:27 size: 2.3 Mb

Dave Shepherd, Howard Shepherd, and Howard Chang share some of their favorite words--words that Word Nerds would like. (1:57) Words whose sounds we like (2:57) wlonk humuhumunukunukuapua'a aglet 'SAT words'--words every smart high school student should know. (6:53) indefatigable benevolent malevolent Song: 'Certain Words in Uncertain Times,' by This Providence (8:45) Words whose etymologies interest us (11:56) helicopter dactyl Music bumper from 'The Helicopter' by Boblex (13:47) Rude word of the week: 'sycophant' (14:22) Song: 'Favorite Song,' by Tony Rodd (17:27) Just some more cool words we like (21:29) apheresis/aphæresis time anthropomorphic Please share your favorite words with us here on the website, in the comments section. Or leave a voicemail on our new and improved Nerd Number, 206-600-NERD (206-600-6373). Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 27:52 size: Mb rating: PG (The Rude Word segment has a couple fairly rude synonyms for 'sycophant.')

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd introduce a voicemail from Jeff in Houston, Texas, on the infrequency of Christmas (1:56) Howard and Dave make a conceptual leap by exploring metaphor and metonymy. (3:25) Song: 'Similar,' by Erich Specht (11:34) Promo for Will and Iris (14:49) The development of metaphor in linguistic maturity (15:13) Music bumper from 'Like Shine' by Likeshine (17:17) Rude word of the week: 'asshole' (17:43) Song: 'Like Tears in Rain,' by P.W. Fenton and The Second Ward (19:45) Visual metonymy and metonymic gesture in film (22:55) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network and GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 28:17 size: 13 Mb rating: PG-13 (Our Rude Word is one you wouldn't say to your mother, really.)

Dave Shepherd explains that the only reason this show is rated 'R' is because of the second song. (It would otherwise probably be PG.) (1:59) Howard Chang, Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd talk about the langauge of games and playing. (2:19) Song: 'Play My Game,' by Heidi McCurdy (6:35) More gaming language--'frolic,' 'cavort,' 'puzzle,' 'pun' (9:35) Music bumper from 'Games' by Shaun (15:30) Greetings from Simran in India. (15:53) Rude word of the week: 'player/playa' (16:16) Song: 'Playa's Fo Life,' by Gangsta Tea, the Oklahoma Realist (18:36) Games nerds play (23:05) Catchphrase (23:17) Taboo (24:40) Scattergories (25:53) Fictionary (27:17) You play Fictionary with us. Type your answers to the word 'melicrate' as comments here under this blog post. (Listen to the choices first.) (32:37) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 35:42 size: 16.4 Mb rating: R (Our discussion is all pretty PG-mild, but our second song uses a racial epithet and rather rude street slang for women.)

Dave Shepherd introduces a look back over the previous 41 editions of The Word Nerds, on behalf of Howard Shepherd and Howard Chang. (3:27) Greeting from Annik Rubens of Schlaflos in München (7:10) Song: 'Why,' by The Day Traders (7:31) Greeting from Sébastien of French Podclass (11:26) Clips from the past year: Clichés (11:40) The Power of Names (14:20) Greeting from Paul Nicholls of podcastpaul.com (17:40) Regional Speech and Our Roots (18:06) Greeting from Chad ('Me') & the Bean from podcastrant.com (21:05) Song: 'Friday Night,' by Amy Dalley (21:05) Greeting from Jason of Perth, Australia (24:52) Rude Words of the Week: 'Bitch' from The Secret Sexism of Language (25:09) 'Balls' from Terms of Determination, Terms of Surrender (26:14) 'Crap' from Neologisms, Technology, and Acronyms (27:53) Greeting from Scott Fletcher of Podcheck Review (29:10) Song: 'Talk, Talk, Talk,' by Cheryl B. Engelhardt (29:10) Greeting and etymology of 'accent' from Charles Hodgson of podictionary (31:31) More clips from the past: Nerds in Europe: Traveling and Language (32:10) Filling the Void: the Fear of Silence (34:05) Vocal tic mashup, based on 'Saunter Down Sixth Avenue,' by The Pulsars (35:25) Greeting from Holger of MacManiacs (36:11) Euphemisms (36:28) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com and The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 41:53 size: 19.2 Mb rating: PG-13 (some of our most interesting rude words, plus sexual references in our clip from the Euphemisms show)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd define insidious idioms--quirky forms of expression that don't seem quirky to native speakers. (2:33) Song: 'Figure It Out,' by Cara Aley (7:00) Embedded metaphor versus insidious idiom (10:02) Music bumper from 'Like Shine' by Likeshine. (18:18) Rude word of the week: 'piss off' (18:46) Song: 'So Long, Goodby,' by The Jimi Ruccolo Band (23:12) Cross cultural confusions and insidious idioms (26:25) Annik Rubens chats with Dave about cross-cultural confusion in Germany (26:37) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 32:27 size: 14.9 Mb rating: PG (We chose a less rude Rude Word than we original considered, but it's still rather rude. We also make a brief, non-explicit sexual reference.)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd explore the etymology of words used to talk about curiosity. (Thanks to Paul Lawler for this topic suggestion.) (1:54) curious quidnunc Song: 'Why,' by Mandi Perkins (6:19) More about the dark side of curiosity (10:30) eavesdropper voyeur gossip Schadenfreude spying, espionage interrogation Music bumper from 'Why' by Don't Call Me Dude (16:23) Rude word of the week: 'MYOB (mind your own business)' (17:06) Song: 'Why,' by The Day Traders (19:12) Curiosity as a good thing (the quality that teachers like students to have) (23:07) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 29:25 size: 13.5 Mb rating: PG (discussion of Jeffrey Eugenides' fascinating novel Middlesex, about a hermaphrodite)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd tip their hats to the great, famous, and influential word nerds in the modern history of the English language. (1:49) Song: 'Talk, Talk, Talk,' by Cheryl B. Engelhardt (16:17 ) Our friend Jason from Perth, Australia sends greetings. (18:37) Rude word of the week: 'old fart' (18:46) Song: 'Mark My Words,' by Granian (22:32) Word nerds in the mass media (up to, and including podcasting) (25:44) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat, courtesy of GarageBand.com time: 33:50 size: 15.5 Mb rating: PG (We mention a recent rude Rude Word and explicate the details of this week's Rude Word.)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd talk about a virtual rainbow of color metaphors. (2:03) Song: 'Blue Bird Tattoo,' by Circe Link (20:02) Rude word of the week: 'yellow' (23:06) Song: 'Lime,' by Persona (26:22) The many faces of 'green,' plus a bit of brown-nosing (29:53) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 35:17 size: 16.2 Mb rating: PG (Everything's just fine, until we talk about brown-nosing at the end.)

Dave Shepherd explains why we put a 'ratings' announcement at the beginning of each show. (1:51) Howard Shepherd and Dave give it 110% as they explore clichés. (3:04) Song: 'Friday Night,' by Amy Dalley (13:33) Rude word of the week: 'shit happens' (17:21) Song: 'Sick As a Dog,' by Brad Sucks (21:04) Clichés from the news (24:12) Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network Theme music by Kick the Cat, courtesy of GarageBand.com time: 31:25 size: 14.4 Mb rating: PG-13 (Our rude word is one that Dave, for one, would not want to hear his middle-school students use.)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd talk about the relationship of names to identity--a revisitation of our show 'The Power of Names.' (1:54) Many listeners have emailed us with comments about name-related topics. (2:08) Names are used as concealments and as self-expression on the Internet. (4:55) Our names are connected to our faces and identities. (8:39) Names enter our language as eponymous adjectives. (12:40) Song: 'Forget My Name,' by The Spinning Jennies (17:57) Rude word of the week: 'troll' (20:45) Song: 'Find My Name,' by Kristin Dare (24:50) Marriage and names--changes and choices (28:55) An ancient Roman's life changes when he takes his adopted father's name. (31:52) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 35:42 size: 16.4 Mb rating: PG (explanation of a Neronian phlebotomy; a rude definition of our Rude Word)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd talk about euphemisms--nice ways of saying things. (Mom taught us that if we couldn't say anything nice, we shouldn't say anything at all.) (1:52) Excretory euphemisms (4:17) Sexual euphemisms, along with a very unfortunate slip of the tongue by John Roberts of CBS News; see also Woody's World of Penis Euphemisms (8:50) Euphemisms for death (14:04) 'Politically correct' euphemisms: euphemism as obfuscation (15:36) Song: 'Collateral Damage,' by Furthur Abuse (17:48) Rude word of the week: 'vomit,' and several euphemisms for it (21:57) Song: 'In Words,' by Instant Winner (24:48) Dysphemism, euphemism's evil twin--less pleasant ways of saying things (This idea is clearly explained by Dr. Susanna Cumming of the University of California/Santa Barbara.) (28:12) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 32:28 size: 14.9 Mb rating: R (Our discussion of sexual euphemisms is pretty frank, especially of John Roberts's press-gaggle gaff.)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd are two exhausted teachers--and they talk about words used to talk about weariness (2:12) Song: 'Carry Me Home,' by Virginia (16:10) Rude word of the week: 'dragging your ass' (19:26) Song: 'Weary Rag,' by Earl Oliver, the Walkin' Blues Man (23:03) More words about weariness (We've just run out of gas...) (26:11) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 30:17 size: 13.9 Mb rating: PG (Our rude word is ruder than a child should utter, but otherwise we're too tired to be very nasty.)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd discuss some of their favorite eponymic expressions--common words taken from proper nouns (1:46) Song: 'Cellophane,' by Sattelite Hearts (13:56) Rude word of the week: 'chauvinist' (18:35) Song: 'Aphrodite's Child,' by Juliet Kelly (21:36) Eponyms from myth and literature (25:58) Thanks to emailers and voice-mailers. Ferg from the podcast Air Ferg scooped us on 'playing the dozens.' Chad from Mt. Airy, NC, gives us a couple of North Carolina-isms we left out. (30:55) Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 35:03 size: 16.2 Mb rating: PG (Discussion of the attitudes of male chauvinist pigs.)

Howard Chang talks about why we love both online and print books and other resources about words. (1:50) Dave Shepherd shares some suggestions by listeners for good online word resources. Thanks especially to Frank Jonen for The Devil's Dictionary and Eric Strauss for The Origins of Cliches. (4:36) Howard Shepherd sings the praises of Bartleby.com. (5:56) Howard Chang and Dave talk about many of their favorite online sites (7:25): The Oxford English Dictionary Online The Online Etymology Dictionary Dictionary.com Urban Dictionary Podictionary A Word a Day from Wordsmith.org Song: 'Find the Words,' by Chandler (14:05) Rude word of the week: 'plagiarist' (18:20) Song: 'Blue Book,' by Jamen Brooks (21:26) Howard Chang, Howard Shepherd, and Dave discuss their favorite word books (25:04): The New College Latin & English Dictionary The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White 100 Words Every High-School Graduate Should Know Latin for the Illiterati, by Jon R. Stone Amo, Amat, Amas, and More, by Eugene H. Ehrlich It's Greek to Me: Brush Up Your Classics by Michael Macrone An Encyclopedia of the Languages of Europe, by Glanville Price The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Expletive Deleted!, by Ruth Wajnryb Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynne Truss Writing Without Teachers, by Peter Elbow Music courtesy of GarageBand.com Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 36:53 size: 16.9 Mb rating: G (People of all ages should read word books.)

Dave Shepherd shares a joke from Ed Nickow about American monolingualism. (1:56) Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd talk about registers of language and explore the concept of 'vertical' registers. (2:49) One interesting hierarchy of 'vertical' registers is proposed by Cheryl Carter. Song: 'Proper English,' by Frontliners (12:11) Rude word of the week: 'gauche' (15:51) Song: 'Intimate Strangers,' by Aaron Cheney (19:14) 'Horizontal' registers, jargon, and community argot (22:54) Theme music by Kick the Cat Music courtesy of GarageBand.com time: 29:11 size: 13.2 Mb rating: G (This podcast is mostly done in a polite register of language.)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd talk about words used to describe people who are running away from dreadful situations. (1:51) Song: 'Home,' by Hawkeye (14:44) Rude word of the week: 'bum' (20:44) Music: 'In His Time,' by 21DCO (27:09) Fear and terror, terrorists and freedom fighters (27:08) Theme music by Kick the Cat Music courtesy of GarageBand.com time: 37:19 size: 17.1 Mb rating: PG-13 (Howard mentions an alteration of a racial slur.)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd share some of their favorite bon mots, verbal put-downs and snaps. (Resource for snaps and playing the dozens: Online Magazine) (1:45) Song: 'Lights Are On But No One's Home,' by The Churchills (15:06) Rude word of the week: 'dumbass' (19:04) Song: 'Cuttin' You Down to Size,' by Billy Hatley's Big City Band (23:22) A few favorite Shakespearean insults (26:58) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 32:53 size: 15.2 Mb rating: PG (Mildly rude insults; brief sexual reference in The Churchills' song)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd explore animal metaphors and American English idioms based on animals. (1:41) Song: 'Snakes,' by Calyptra, courtesy of GarageBand.com (11:38) Rude word of the week: 'dog' and other animal-based insults (14:56) Song: 'Taller Than Dogs,' by Oscar Trim, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network (19:44) Fantastic animal metaphors, and ancient roots of animal idioms (22:23) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 30:51 size: 14.1 Mb NOTE: We will save you all some hard drive space by encoding at 64 kbps and 22.05 kHz from now on. It seems to sound just as good! rating: PG (Some animal insults are really rude.)

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd invited their two siblings to talk about the roots of their speech. Robert Shepherd talks about being the son who stayed close to home. (2:25) Howard and Dave recall learning English on the North Carolina rural route, and losing a lot of their accents. (5:37) Song: 'Blue Highway Home,' by Jim Taylor and Friends (19:59) Rude word of the week: 'hillbilly' (22:37) Beth Shepherd Bliss reminisces about leaving North Carolina to come to the Philadelphia area. (27:40) What listeners from around the USA (and Australia) call a carbonated sweet drink and a long sandwich--emails and voicemails (32:00) Howard recalls Tom Wicker's taking professional advantage of a southern accent. (34:22) One of our favorite podcasts that features speech of our native region is 5 Minutes With Wichita. Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 37:49 size: 34.7 Mb rating: G (It's all about family. Our parents might even hear this one! Nothing much rude at all about this podcast.)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd respond to some of the summer's emails. Thanks to Rachael for sending us a copy of Expletive Deleted, by Ruth Wajnryb. (1:50) Howard and Dave reminisce about their summer travels in Europe and about speaking in other languages than English. (6:29) Song: 'Summertime,' by Brother Love, courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network (20:20) Rude word of the week: 'schlock' (23:32) Song: 'Bad Vacation,' by Rockwell Church, courtesy of GarageBand.com (27:38) Summer sounds of Vienna, Austria (31:54) Soundseeing, sightseeing, and being a tourist (32:12) Albumizing versus scrapbooking. (34:57) Theme music by Kick the Cat photos: Howard and Vanessa in Rome; Salzburg by night as photographed by Dave. time: 38:31 size: 35.4 Mb rating: PG (Brother Love's song contains a mild profanity. But what can be offensive about a nice trip to Europe?)

The Word Nerds urge you to support relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina through contributions to the American Red Cross or other relief organizations. time: 1:44 size: 2.5 Mb

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd talk about neologisms that stick around in language. (2:45) Song: 'Groovy T' by Euphonic (17:36) Rude word of the week: 'duh' (We include a tribute to Urban Dictionary.) (20:04) Song: 'Fashion Dog' by One Drop Rule (24:04) Metaphors that die (27:53) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 33:21 size: 30.6 Mb rating: PG-13 (brief reference to sex; use of a racial slur as a slang reference)

Howard Chang, Howard Shepherd, and Dave Shepherd talk about filler language and the tyranny of silence. (2:00) Song: Vocal tic mashup, based on 'Saunter Down Sixth Avenue' by The Pulsars (11:29) Rude word of the week: 'blabbermouth' (12:17) Song: 'Gift of Gab [god's gift]' by Doug Evans (16:34) The discipline of silence; silence as punishment (20:14) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 27:27 size: 25.2 Mb

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd talk about the effect of Internet communication on written English. (2:16) Song: 'Letters to Myself,' by Now Death, courtesy of GarageBand.com (17:36) Rude word of the week: 'Dear John letter' (22:04) Song: 'Fairest of the Mall,' by Griddle, courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network (26:33) What's coming next? How is new technology influencing language change? (29:05) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 34:22 size: 31.6 Mb

Dave Shepherd, Howard Shepherd, and Howard Chang talk about their pet language peeves. (1:54) Song: 'You and I Are,' by Laughing Colors (11:12) Rude word of the week: 'anal retentive' (14:13) Why we all dislike 'verbing' (18:21) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 25:03 size: 23 Mb

Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd define and discuss collective and mass nouns. (2:25) Some cool collective noun links: World Wide Words Collective Noun Page British Council Collective Nouns Page The Collective Noun Page Paul Vigay's Collective Noun Database Song:"Crows and Ravens Grouped in Clusters," by The Low Season Combo (WARNING: this song contains a rude word.) (13:59) Rude word of the week: "philistine" (18:29) Song: "Gaggle of Titmice," by The Slowly Rubbings (21:53) Corporate versus individual identity and collective nouns (25:46) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 30:38 size: 28.2 Mb

(UK title: With the Nerds) The Bioloquy Show Dave Shepherd acknowledges several nerdy interlocutors. (2:55) Howard Chang defines 'bioloquy.' (4:36) Dave Shepherd's bioloquy (5:38) Howard Shepherd's bioloquy (10:01) Howard Chang's bioloquy (14:48) Song: 'Something to Say,' by Mr. E (20:05) Rude word of the week: 'dork' (23:53) What we teach and why (27:06) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 35:43 size: 32.8 Mb

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang explore expressions of discomfort, both verbal and nonverbal. (3:20) Song: 'Comfortably Uncomfortable,' by Everyday Atlas (15:41) Rude word of the week: 'up shit creek without a paddle' (19:49) Song: 'Hurt So Good,' by The Yellow Snow Company (22:26) Expressions of comfort and pleasure (26:53) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 34:26 size: 31.6 Mb

Dave Shepherd and Annik Rubens talk about using slang in a foreign language, and about English in German advertising. (4:27) Howard Shepherd and Dave discuss snooty foreignisms, calques, and loan words. (6:48) Song: 'Babblefish' by Maxwell Strait (16:56) Rude word of the week: 'shit' and its European cousins (21:02) Song: 'Lime Ennui,' by Him & the Drinks (24:18) Loans and calques from English into other languages (28:02) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 32:12 size: 22.1 Mb

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd discuss the language of inspiration (2:05) Song: 'Inspiration,' by Dan Mayer (15:12) Rude word of the week: 'airhead' (18:35) Song: 'Who Needs Air?' by Orizon (22:20) Sports metaphors and inspiration (26:49) How to overcome writer's block (29:45) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 33:04 size: 22.7 Mb

Dave Shepherd pays tribute to Doug Harper's Online Etymology Dictionary, found at etymonline.com. (2:28) Howard Shepherd and Dave talk about pronouns without antecedents. (4:55) Song: 'It's Time,' by Amyssis (12:38) Rude word of the week: the Unnamed Antecedent (Wanna make something of it?) (16:38) Song: 'Hearts and Minds,' by Dig Trio (19:35) Anticipatory pronouns (24:47) Theme music by Kick the Cat time: 29:46 size: 20.6 Mb