The Word Nerds Archive

Episodes

1. 76

   We're changing our blog! (63.5)

   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...

   May 24, 2006

   3m
2. 75

   Idioms and Culture (63)

   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)...

   May 20, 2006

   36m
3. 74

   Non-Verbal Communication (62)

   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...

   May 13, 2006

   37m
4. 73

   Race and Language (60)

   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...

   Apr 29, 2006

   39m
5. 72

   Puns (59)

   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...

   Apr 22, 2006

   28m
6. 71

   Music and Language (58)

   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...

   Apr 15, 2006

   31m
7. 70

   Age and Language (57)

   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...

   Apr 8, 2006

   32m
8. 69

   Language of Deception (56)

   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…

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   Apr 1, 2006

   38m
9. 68

   Invented Language (55)

   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…

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   Mar 25, 2006

   31m
10. 67

    Portmanteau Words (Blend Words) (54)

    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...

    Mar 18, 2006

    36m
11. 66

    Nerds Who Say "Nym" (53)

    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...

    Mar 11, 2006

    34m
12. 65

    Locker-room Lingo, Pickup Lines, and Flirtation (52)

    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)...

    Mar 4, 2006

    38m
13. 64

    Fantastic Flubs (51)

    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...

    Feb 25, 2006

    31m
14. 63

    The History of Our Podcast (50)

    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...

    Feb 18, 2006

    36m
15. 62

    Governmental Gab (49)

    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...

    Feb 11, 2006

    35m
16. 61

    Rhythm and Meaning (48)

    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,'...

    Feb 4, 2006

    28m
17. 60

    Weather Words (47)

    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...

    Jan 28, 2006

    34m
18. 59

    Onomatopoeia and Other Word Music (46)

    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...

    Jan 21, 2006

    24m
19. 58

    Etymonline.com needs your help (45A)

    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

    Jan 17, 2006

    2m
20. 57

    Our Favorite Words (45)

    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...

    Jan 14, 2006

    27m
21. 56

    Metaphor and Metonymy (44)

    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...

    Jan 7, 2006

    28m
22. 55

    Games Nerds Play (43)

    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...

    Dec 31, 2005

    35m
23. 54

    Word Nerds in 2005--A Look Back (42)

    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…

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    Dec 24, 2005

    41m
24. 53

    Insidious Idioms (41)

    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...

    Dec 17, 2005

    32m
25. 52

    Curiosity (40)

    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…

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    Dec 10, 2005

    29m
26. 51

    Word Nerds in History (39)

    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:...

    Dec 3, 2005

    33m
27. 50

    Color Metaphors (38)

    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...

    Nov 26, 2005

    35m
28. 49

    Cliches (37)

    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...

    Nov 19, 2005

    31m
29. 48

    Names and Identity (36)

    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...

    Nov 12, 2005

    35m
30. 47

    Euphemisms (35)

    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…

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    Nov 5, 2005

    32m
31. 46

    Words of Weariness (34)

    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...

    Oct 29, 2005

    30m
32. 45

    Eponyms (33)

    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...

    Oct 22, 2005

    35m
33. 44

    Our Favorite Resources: Online and Print (32)

    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.…

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    Oct 15, 2005

    36m
34. 43

    Registers of Language (31)

    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...

    Oct 8, 2005

    29m
35. 42

    Flight and Terror (30)

    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...

    Oct 1, 2005

    37m
36. 41

    Verbal Put-Downs (29)

    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...

    Sep 25, 2005

    32m
37. 40

    Animal Metaphors and Animal Idioms (28)

    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...

    Sep 17, 2005

    30m
38. 39

    Regional Speech and Our Roots (27)

    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)…

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    Sep 11, 2005

    37m
39. 38

    Nerds in Europe: Traveling and Language (26)

    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…

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    Sep 4, 2005

    38m
40. 37

    Please Support Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts (25A)

    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

    Sep 1, 2005

    1m
41. 36

    Word Fads (25)

    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…

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    Aug 28, 2005

    33m
42. 35

    Filling the Void: the Fear of Silence (24)

    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)…

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    Aug 21, 2005

    27m
43. 34

    Tone and the Written Word (23)

    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…

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    Aug 14, 2005

    34m
44. 33

    Our Linguistic Pet Peeves (22)

    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

    Aug 7, 2005

    25m
45. 32

    A Whole Lot of Stuff: Collective Nouns (21)

    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...

    Jul 31, 2005

    30m
46. 31

    Meet the Nerds (20)

    (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…

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    Jul 24, 2005

    35m
47. 30

    (Dis)comfort and Paralanguage (19)

    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...

    Jul 17, 2005

    34m
48. 29

    Snooty Foreignisms (18)

    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...

    Jul 10, 2005

    32m
49. 28

    Inspiration

    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...

    Jul 3, 2005

    33m
50. 27

    The Unnamed Antecedent

    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?)…

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    Jun 26, 2005

    29m