Martha Barnette's . . . Orts

Is That a Pork Steak in Your Pocket . . . ?

2009-02-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

Over at the Travel Channel's online magazine, World Hum, Jenna Schnuer talks to Grant and me about some of our favorite regionalisms. (And in the comments section, you can find out what one does with a bunny hug.)

IIIIIIIt's "Bailout"!

2009-01-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

Well, it appears that the word bailout has edged out the competition for the American Dialect Society's "Word of the Year 2008" vote. So much for my prediction yesterday on a San Diego TV show that the word would be change.

My co-host Grant Barrett is right in the thick of the ADS decision-making, and talking about the vote in various media outlets for weeks now, so keep an ear out for his comments about why they chose this word. (You can also hear Grant hold forth on NPR's "Morning Edition" this coming Monday.)

Can "Man of the Year" Be Far Behind?

2008-12-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

"Nuke the Fridge." "Fist Bump." "Bailout." Grant tells TIME magazine all about the new buzzwords for 2008.

Some Things You Stumble Across Online. . .

2008-10-22T19:44:00.001-07:00

And you just have to share. Like, for example, this letter from a woman to her husband's pillow. Genius.

Best. Pop-Up Book. Ever

2008-10-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

For all you abecedarians, here it is.

Save the Words

2008-10-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

A plea for one of my favorite words, "caducity."

Latin's Alive and Kicking

2008-10-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

Heartening news for fans of Latin in today's New York Times:

The number of students in the United States taking the National Latin Exam has risen steadily to more than 134,000 students in each of the past two years, from 124,000 in 2003 and 101,000 in 1998, with large increases in remote parts of the country like New Mexico, Alaska and Vermont. The number of students taking the Advanced Placement test in Latin, meanwhile, has nearly doubled over the past 10 years, to 8,654 in 2007. While Spanish and French still dominate student schedules — and Chinese and Arabic are trendier choices — Latin has quietly flourished in many high-performing suburbs, like New Rochelle, where Latin’s virtues are sung by superintendents and principals who took it in their day. In neighboring Pelham, the 2,750-student district just hired a second full-time Latin teacher after a four-year search, learning that scarce Latin teachers have become more sought-after than ever.

Typewriters We Have Loved, Part II

2008-09-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

A lovely obituary for a typewriter repairman in this week's issue of The Economist.

ANYONE who had dealings with manual typewriters—the past tense, sadly, is necessary—knew that they were not mere machines. Eased heavily from the box, they would sit on the desk with an air of expectancy, like a concert grand once the lid is raised. On older models the keys, metal-rimmed with white inlay, invited the user to play forceful concertos on them, while the silvery type-bars rose and fell chittering and whispering from their beds. Such sounds once filled the offices of the world, and Martin Tytell’s life.

Everything about a manual was sensual and tactile, from the careful placing of paper round the platen (which might be plump and soft or hard and dry, and was, Mr Tytell said, a typewriter’s heart) to the clicking whirr of the winding knob, the slight high conferred by a new, wet, Mylar ribbon and the feeding of it, with inkier and inkier fingers, through the twin black guides by the spool. Typewriters asked for effort and energy. They repaid it, on a good day, with the triumphant repeated ping! of the carriage return and the blithe sweep of the lever that inched the paper upwards.

I also loved this graf:

When his shop closed in 2001, after 65 years of business, it held a stock of 2m pieces of type. Tilde “n”s alone took up a whole shelf. The writer Ian Frazier, visiting once to have his Olympia cured of a flagging “e”, was taken into a dark nest of metal cabinets by torchlight. There he was proudly shown a drawer of umlauts.

We talked about typewriter nostaglia in an earlier episode of "A Way with Words."

Adventures in Subtitling

2008-08-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder who writes those subtitles? Check out this fascinating description of the day-to-day work of professional subtitlers. Guy La Roche, a Dutch translator living in France, offers a vivid look at the particular challenges of subtitling things like cartoons, Shakespeare . . . and porn:

Once I had to do a whole series of funny American cartoons for kids. In one episode the expression “it is raining like cats and dogs” was used in combination with an image of actual cartoon cats and dogs falling out of the sky that totally belied my earlier argument that I do not have to mention these creatures in my translation. After all, this time the animals were shown on screen. So what does a good translator do in a case like this?
Well, first of all you cry a little and curse the fact that you chose to become a subtitler. Next, you search your native language database for any expressions dealing with heavy rainfall in the hope that at least one of them will mention either a dog or a cat so that your translation will correspond with what is being shown on screen. In Dutch there is the word hondenweer or dog’s weather, which means “really bad weather” and generally describes heavy rainfall combined with heavy winds. I solved the pun problem by feeding cats into the equation and came up with something like: “Today, it is dog’s AND cat’s weather.” The pun was preserved and the text corresponded with the image. Eureka!

Verlyn Klinkenborg speaks for me

2008-07-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

From his essay in the NYT today:

I can see the appeal of a virtual community. I’ve joined three or four of these groups, partly just to see what’s going on but also to reconnect with old acquaintances and find new music. But some of these sites I don’t quite get.
I’ve used Twitter a couple of times since it came to the iPhone recently. The idea is to send short messages — microblog entries of 140 characters or less — to a group of people who are “following” you. The reason is so they’ll know what you’re doing. What I come away with is a mental image of 30 or 40 people following me around all day long asking “Whatcha doing?” while I’m trying to work.

Although I'm not so worried about this:

One effect of so much social networking — so many overlapping communities of interlinked individuals — is that the language of actual human interaction begins to feel degraded. What can the word “friend” mean after Facebook, where it is really a synonym for “coincidence”? How subtle can the emotions be in a TiVo-ish world like iLike, where it’s thumbs up or thumbs down? There’s no room even for the hand-wiggle that means “meh.”

Writers' Rooms

2008-06-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

A roundup in the The Guardian about how other writers' offices look.

WTF?

2008-06-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

From the "How'd They Miss That One?" Department:

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- OMG! What is that on my car's license plate?
That's the question asked by 10,000 drivers who registered their vehicles in North Carolina last year and got registrations starting with "WTF."

Good Riddanc, Copy Editors!

2008-06-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Not!

Check out this funny article by the Washington Post's Gene Weingarten on why copy editors are important.

A Bookstore to Take Your Breath Away

2008-06-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Argentina, where I recently had the great pleasure of exploring one of the world's most breathtaking bookstores, El Ateneo, in Buenos Aires. Opened in 1919 as a grand theater for live performances, it later became a movie theater, and in 2000, was converted into a bookstore. As you can see, the stage has been converted into a cafe, and if you find a book you'd like to browse through, you can make yourself at home reading in one of the theater boxes on either side.Imagine shopping for your next bedside-table book or new dictionary in a place like this.

For the record, I bought a book of Shakespeare sonnets in Spanish and English, and a book of love letters between famous folks in Spanish.

Photo by Rodrigo Junqueira

When Spellcheckers Attack

2008-06-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Oops.

Spell-check run amok changes names in Pa. yearbook

AP--A computer spell-checker run amok christened several Pennsylvania high school students with new — and in some cases unflattering — last names.

Middletown Area High School's yearbook listed Max Zupanovic as "Max Supernova," Kathy Carbaugh as "Kathy Airbag" and Alessandra Ippolito as "Alexandria Impolite," just to name a few.

"It was kind of funny, but kind of rude at the same time," Ippolito said.

i am neurotic

2008-05-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

i am neurotic is a place for you to confess your neuroses (including, apparently, a morbid fear of capital letters). A sampling:

When I have to ask for directions and the location is fairly obvious, I’m always embarrassed. To avoid the humiliation, I ask in a British accent so my incompetence is socially accepted.

And:

I can’t stand multiple bumps close together. Corn on the cob, multiple pimples, popcornceilings… anything with multiple bumps. They seriously freak me out.

And I especially like:

When I was little, I would apologize to my stuffed animals if I dropped them or something, so they wouldn’t kill me in my sleep. I also tried to evenly divide my attention among them so no one got lonely or jealous, and tried to kill me in my sleep.

I have my own linguistic neuroses, of course, but I'm not sharing. How about yours?

A Book You Can Really Dig

2008-05-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

The good folks at iUniverse, which provides affordable publishing, editorial, and marketing services, are featuring my book, A Garden of Words, on their site. There you'll also find a recent podcast interview I did with them about the book, which is about how flowers got their names -- as well as how many other words came to be. In the podcast, we also discuss our radio show, plus a little about the craft of writing, and getting published.

We at "A Way with Words" are proud to have iUniverse as a sponsor of our show, and I'm pleased to say they've done a great job re-publishing my book.

Dah Dah DUH

2008-05-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

As Shpilkes points out, it's hard to know what the naming consultants at Volkswagen were thinking when they named their new models Touareg, Tiguan, and Routan.

I can't help wondering if Touareg is some kind of anagram. ("Outrage"? "Age Rout"? "A Toe Rug"?)

Btw, how did I miss until just this instant that there's a Microsoft version of that old VW commercial that uses the "Dah Dah Dah" song?

Writer's Block? Kvit Your Kvetching!

2008-04-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

Great advice about writer's block. For starters, quit whining.

Whining is the ~~white~~ blue smoke in your tailpipe that lets you know you’re burning mental oil. It means you’re unconsciously devoting cycles to something that you can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t be spending time thinking about. Otherwise, why would it be bothering you, right? You’d be either extricated or done with it.

Ving, Vang, Vong

2008-04-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

In an editorial subtitled "The Pleasures of a New Vocabulary," Verlyn Klinkenborg beautifully describes the thrill of picking up unfamiliar words while acquiring a new skill. Who knew that "scandalize" was a sailing term? (Okay, besides sailors.) It means "to make a sail smaller," and is an alteration of "scantelize," which may have something to do with "scant."

Back Home Again in Indiana (Sort of )

2008-04-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to say that Grant and I will be in Indianapolis this weekend for several important fundraising events. We'll be in the studios of NPR affiliate WFYI, pitching live during their spring membership campaign on Saturday, April 12, from noon to 1 p.m., when "A Way with Words" is broadcast. If you've been thinking about joining WFYI or renewing your membership with this public radio station, that'd be a great time to do it. We'd love to have the chance to thank you personally!

Grant and I will also appear that evening at the Indy Reads "Alphabet Affair" gala, supporting this wonderful literacy program. This year's fundraiser honors the letter "J," and "J-themed" costumes are encouraged. (I'm guessing we could raise more money if I promise NOT to show up in a tight Jumpsuit, but I digress.)

One more event: On Sunday, April 13, I'll be giving a free talk at the Central Library in Indianapolis at 1:30 p.m., on "Why I Love Words." Grant and I will take questions from the audience, and afterward, I'll sign copies of my book, A Garden of Words, more about which can be found in last weekend's article in the Indianapolis Star. Proceeds will benefit the library.

Who knows? We just might turn up somewhere else that weekend as well, but at the very least, we'll be at those events. So if you're an Orts reader or an "A Way with Words" listener, please be sure to introduce yourself so we can chat. (Just don't offer this mostly-vegetarian word nerd any of that Hoosier favorite, Beef Manhattan, okay? Tofu Manhattan might be another story.)

"Where's the Rest of Me?"

2008-03-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

If you're flying on American Airlines in early March, be sure to reach into the seat pocket in front of you and pull out a copy of their inflight magazine, American Way. There's an article by Jenna Schnuer about our public-radio show, "A Way with Words." Grant and I also put our heads together to come up with some entertaining regional expressions. So if you're flying American this month, just remember: You'll find us right next to the barf bags.

Thinking Inside the Box

2008-02-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

Greetings from American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in New York City, where Grant and I will be presenting awards after the finals this year. We're having a fine old time, as is everyone else here. And after trying a few brain-busting puzzles this evening, I have a world of respect for what these die-hard cruciverbalists manage to accomplish!

Here we are with New York Times crossword puzzle editor and NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz. (Note how puzzled I look already.)

The Bloody Origin of "Shambles"

2008-02-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

Chicago Tribune language columnist Nathan Bierma writes about the curious word "shambles."
Its etymology is kind of grisly -- rather like that of dreary.

Correction of the Day

2008-02-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

From the corrections section in London's Guardian newspaper on Feb. 6, 2008:

Whether the romance of the French president and Carla Bruni was very pubic only they can say. We meant to say it was very public (Sarkozy marries royally with Versailles wedding night, page 15, February 4).

Oops.

Calling All Cruciverbalists

2008-02-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

As NPR Puzzlemaster and New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz mentioned yesterday on NPR's "Weekend Edition," my co-host Grant Barrett and I will be appearing at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, the nation's oldest and largest crossword competition. If you're going to be there, please do make a point of saying hello! We also look forward to hanging out with the "A Way with Words" Puzzle Guys, Greg Pliska and John Chaneski.

And of course, to psych myself up, I'm watching the entertaining movie "Wordplay" all over again. (I'm also looking forward to seeing Grant, who will be providing the color commentary during this year's finals, all gussied up with the same kind of crossword-puzzle cravat that Neal Conan sports in the film).

The Great Japanese Cellphone Novel?

2008-01-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

Check out this mind-boggling piece in today's New York Times about the rise of the "cellphone novel" in Japan! OMG!

And to think I was waxing nostalgic on the air a couple weeks ago about old-fashioned manual typewriters.

The story notes that one cellphone novel written by a high school senior was turned into a hardback book that's sold more than 400,000 copies. The monosyllabically named author, Rin, says traditional novels leave her cold:

“They don’t read works by professional writers because their sentences are too difficult to understand, their expressions are intentionally wordy, and the stories are not familiar to them,” she said.

Ow.

Famous for What, Again??

2008-01-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

You may recall my little Gallery of Regrettable Punctuation. Here's another to add to the list: I was nosing around on eBay just now, and happened across this doozy.

Surely these Barnettes aren't related to ME????? (On the other hand, might I have long-lost relatives who are heirs to a huge brewing fortune? In which case, forget I ever quibbled about punctuation.)

Word Sandwich

2008-01-14T22:33:00.001-08:00

Now here's a workout for your brain! Try to guess the five-letter word. If your guess starts too far down in the alphabet, the graphic lets you know. If it's too far up, it lets you know that, too. Trying to zero in on the right word is downright addictive -- not to mention maddening!

The Year in Words

2007-12-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

Mom job? Nose bidet? Wide stance? Grant discusses some of the quirky, strange, and otherwise telling expressions making the rounds in 2007. His article in today's New York Times is a fascinating way of looking back at the year.

Facebook "is" isn't

2007-12-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

A campaign of 182,015 people to stomp out a specific use of the word "is" on Facebook is successful.

TGIF

2007-12-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

From Reuters:

An Italian court has ruled that a couple could not name their son "Friday" and ordered that he instead be called Gregory after the saint whose feast day he was born on..."We named him Friday because we like the sound of the name. Even if it would have been a girl, we would have named her Friday," the boy's mother, Mara Germano, told Reuters.

When the boy was about five months old, a city hall clerk brought the odd name to the attention of a tribunal, which informed the couple of an administrative norm which bars parents from giving "ridiculous or shameful" first names to children.

Really. Talk about ridiculous. I like the name, too. What do you think? (Thanks to shpilkes for pointing this one out and supplying the headline.)

Uglier Than a Monkey's Armpit

2007-12-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a new book that sounds like a great stocking stuffer, from LanguageHat. I'm putting it on my wishlist.

Photo by babasteve

Huh???

2007-12-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

Let's see....my linguistic excuse for posting this clip is, um, er, ah . . . oh! It's in Thai with subtitles, and ... oh, heck, just watch it.

Correction of the Day

2007-12-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

This one makes my heart sing. It's from the London Guardian:

We misspelled the word misspelled twice, as mispelled, in the Corrections and clarifications column on September 26, page 30.

w00t did you say?

2007-12-12T10:22:00.001-08:00

You may have heard that the folks at Merriam-Webster choose "w00t" as their "Word of the Year" for 2007. Grant, of course, has the real scoop on w00t here.

Paging Santa

2007-12-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

Holiday book recommendations from Boston Globe language columnist Jan Freeman. These two in particular are on my own to-read list:

"How Language Works" (Avery, $17.95), by the formidable British linguist David Crystal, more than lives up to its ambitious subtitle: "How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die." It's a wide-ranging introduction to the study of language, touching on virtually every aspect from neuroscience to dialects to language death....
Remember those Latin conjugations? A lot of Brits apparently do; Harry Mount's tribute to the undead language, "Carpe Diem" (Hyperion, $19.95), was a bestseller in England last year. Subtitled "Put a Little Latin in Your Life," it purports to be a workable introduction to the language, with basic grammar brightened by illustrations (John Belushi in a toga), whimsy (the Latin bit from "Life of Brian"), and fun facts about Roman emperors. But Mount's affectionate ramble, with its tributes to teachers past, seems more likely to lure nostalgia trippers than budding classicists.

Rising to the Occasion

2007-12-09T13:07:00.001-08:00

So sorry I didn’t see until now this gem from the BBC from a couple of weeks ago:

Croatia rose to the occasion in their crucial Euro 2008 defeat of England - after an apparent X-rated gaffe by an English opera singer at Wembley.
Tony Henry belted out a version of the Croat anthem before the 80,000 crowd, but made a blunder at the end.
He should have sung 'Mila kuda si planina' (which roughly means 'You know my dear how we love your mountains').
But he instead sang 'Mila kura si planina' which can be interpreted as 'My dear, my penis is a mountain'.

The Swiss Army Knife of Words

2007-12-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

A beer commercial demonstrates the flexibility of the word "dude."

Hot Shirts and Hit Sheds

2007-12-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

A look at the psychology of spoonerisms, which of course can mean the difference between straddling a well-boiled icicle and a well-oiled bicycle.

My What????

2007-11-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

You know, I may already be regretting this Gallery of Regrettable Punctuation thing. I mean, I headed off to the desert yesterday to celebrate Thanksgiving, but I couldn't help stopping to take a photo of this sign, which is somewhere between Ramona and Palm Desert.

What the Union-Tribune Said

2007-11-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

What they said.

Yay.

T-minus one day and counting!

The Gallery of Regrettable Punctuation

2007-11-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

I've always gotten a chuckle out of James Lileks' "Gallery of Regrettable Food." I mean, you have to love the commentary on the abominations you'll find in things like the Cookin' with Dr. Pepper cookbook.

Inspired by this gallery, then, I hereby present The Official "A Way with Words" Gallery of Regrettable Punctuation, and invite you to add your own findings.

I'll start us off. So, I'm having a lovely time in New York City recently, and I'm looking for a place to have dinner near Times Square. I happen upon the Marriott Marquis, when what to my wondering eyes doth appear, but this appetite-killer:

Taking it's cues? "It's cues"????

Pass me the Maalox, please!

What's Your Choice for Word of the Year?

2007-11-21T15:02:00.001-08:00

Grant and I did some yakking live this week on KPBS's "These Days" radio show about candidates for "Word of the Year." We discussed possibilities like "grass station" and "toe tapper." Although I'm holding out for "lecondel" and "facebook" used as a transitive verb.

What's YOUR nomination for the word or phrase of the year? Tell us about it in the new "A Way with Words" discussion forum!

Biggest. Diary. Ever.

2007-11-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've been remiss in lamenting the death last month of Robert Shields, the protestant minister born in Seymour, Indiana, who left behind a diary of his life consisting of some 37.5 million words, a possible world record. Holy cow! Although I do have to wonder how many emails I've sent in the last 16 years. And I'm realizing that my "sent" file pretty much doubles as my own diary. How about the rest of you?

T-Minus 9 Days to the New AWWW!

2007-11-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

We at "A Way with Words" are sooooo excited! The premiere of the brand-new season of "A Way with Words" -- and yes, podcasters, we're talking all-new, hour-long episodes -- starts Saturday, Nov. 24!

Check out the new "A Way with Words" site, where you can meet fellow word lovers in our discussion forum and get our e-newsletter. You can also help us puzzle over the blue bark mystery, and hear our latest attempt to answer that pesky question, "What's the word for 'points on a compass'?" The emails and comments are STILL coming in about that one!

And be sure to tune in for the all-new season, Saturday, Nov. 24!

Grant's New Column

2007-10-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

And with a circulation of 1.2 million -- not bad! Check out Grant's first column about his adventures in lexicography -- and the slang word "cougar."

Are You a Podcast User?

2007-10-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Then you might enjoy Podcast User Magazine. (And not just because one this month's featured interviewees, Charles Hodgson of Podictionary, tells the magazine that the one podcast he'd never want to do without is -- what else? -- "A Way with Words.")

And may I just take a moment to say how very pleased I am to see that Charles used a serial comma in the subtitle of his new book, Carnal Knowledge: A Navel Gazer's Dictionary of Anatomy, Etymology, and Trivia? Charles, thanks for striking another blow for sensible punctuation!

Of Wide Stances and Toe-tappers

2007-10-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Pondering the saga of Larry Craig, Rebecca Boone notes in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

In the list of famous excuses ever given for questionable behavior, "I have a wide stance" must fall somewhere between the schoolchild's favorite, "the dog ate my homework," and President Bill Clinton's, "I didn't inhale."

Later in the article, my co-host Grant weighs in on whether the slang terms popularized by this scandal -- "wide stance" and "toe tapper" -- have, um, legs.

Cartoon of the Week

2007-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

See? I TOLD you learning grammar is important! (Hat tip to Shpilkes.)

Cackleberries 'n Blinky Milk

2007-10-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Folks, in this week's "A Way with Words" podcast, I'm gittin' all nostalgic for my Southern roots -- a sentimental journey that began as I thumbed through a few pages of glorious reference work, the Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English.

Incidentally, in the podcast I mention that my dad, Henlee Barnette, was born in a one-room log cabin at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain in western North Carolina. I wasn't kidding about the one-room log cabin part, either. The cabin has long since fallen in, but here's an old family photograph of it. When I look at this, I can still remember drinking from a cool, clear spring deep in the woods nearby -- and just how cold the battered metal ladle felt when I brought it to my mouth. Anyway, enjoy this week's "A Way with Words" podcast, and be sure to check out the links there, too.

Up, Up, and A Way with Words!

2007-09-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

That's right! As subscribers to our newsletter already know, the creative team behind "A Way with Words" has just inked a deal to keep our show on the air. We're so happy we could diagram a few pages of Ulysses!

Thanks for all your emails, letters, and phone calls of support. You made it plain: You care about language, you care about good radio, and you care about having a place to enjoy them together. Our new season starts in late November, so enjoy!

And if you want to talk about it some more, amble on over to the "A Way with Words" Discussion Forum where your fellow word lovers are discussing the show and other matters linguistic.

Quote of the Day

2007-09-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a common-place thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes Awww!”

-- Jack Kerouac

You can say that again! (And of course I'm sure it's no coincidence that the last word also applies to a certain radio show?) Heh.

Finally, A Rosetta Stone for Your Underwear

2007-09-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Liz Morrison has discovered a kind of Rosetta Stone for those odd little tags you find in your clothing these days. Her very funny blog is called I've Got Shpilkes.

"Digitivity Denizens"? Eeeuw!

2007-09-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

Oh, puh-leeze! From an article on MSNBC about an ad agency that's come up with a new term for people whose lives are inextricably intertwined with communications technology:

"We are calling them 'digitivity denizens,' those who see their cell phones as an extension of themselves, whose online and offline lives are co-mingled and who would chose a Wi-Fi connection over TV any day," said Mack.

"This is how they communicate, entertain and live."

Yeah, yeah, I know that pathetically self-conscious, unwieldly coinages die their own rapid death anyway. But please, someone euthanize this expression immediately and put the rest of us out of our misery.

Java Script

2007-09-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Geez, do you suppose there's any connection between the fact that we here at "A Way with Words" are racing to get ready for the show's brand -new season (about which more here), and the fact that both Grant and I are posting this week about various things with lots of caffeine?

Speaking of caffeine, in this International Herald Tribune article by William Safire (in which Safire happens to quote Grant yet again as an expert source), Safire ponders the relationship between Starbucks and the possessive 's.

"Yesterday, I picked up a pamphlet that proclaimed 'Starbucks commitment to social responsibility,' " writes Professor Henry Richardson of Georgetown University. "That's all very nice, but what about their commitment to the apostrophe?"

In the advertising claim "Starbucks commitment," the commitment is the promise that belongs to Starbucks, and its possessive action calls for a punctuation mark that indicates that: an apostrophe. But this clear grammatical requirement runs into the "sounds funny" problem. To make it correct, you would write "Starbucks's," requiring the pronunciation "Starbucks-zzz." Of course, if the name of the chain were Starbuck's, (with an apostrophe, meaning "the place owned by a guy named Starbuck, like the character in 'Moby-Dick,' " then it would get a little tricky: Starbuck's's. That sounds as if you're fast asleep.

Right. But I don't see why you can't just write Starbucks' with the apostrophe at the very end. A lot of authorities make exceptions in this case for certain important names, and punctuate their possessives that way -- including Jesus and Moses and Socrates.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone who supplies me with tasty, sippable caffeine falls into the same category.

Wake Up and Get Movin'!

2007-09-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Caffeinated oatmeal! Yum!

Brave New Words

2007-09-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts about the unfortunate need for new words in a post-9/11 world.

Win This Book!

2007-09-03T07:50:00.001-07:00

Hie yourself on over to the "A Way with Words" discussion forum, where we're trying to come up with some brand-spanking-new collective nouns for the following groups:

aliens from outer space

tennis players

language-loving radio hosts (be nice, now!)

The winner will receive a copy of Jeff Prucher's handsome new book, The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction. Check out what your fellow word-lovers have suggested, and see if you can do better.

Who Says Etymology Isn't Sexy?

2007-08-18T15:17:00.001-07:00

All right, I realize that I may crash the server with so much babeliciousness in just one blog entry, but I've been meaning to post this shot of tennis star Maria Sharapova and me from the Acura Tennis Classic a couple of weeks ago.

Here she is asking me about a word origin, and I'm giving her a few pointers to fine-tune her serve -- which may be why she won the tournament.

(Okay, so she didn't need my help. But I had you going for a second there, didn't I?) She was also kind enough to auction off one of her rackets for several thousand dollars while I was emceeing the tournament's fundraiser to fight breast cancer, so good on her for that, too.

A Bouncing Baby @ !

2007-08-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

According to news reports, a Chinese couple is trying to name their new baby boy "@." It had to happen, right? Reuters says:

"The whole world uses it to write e-mail, and translated into Chinese it means 'love him'," the father explained, according to the deputy chief of the State Language Commission Li Yuming.

While the "@" simple is familiar to Chinese e-mail users, they often use the English word "at" to sound it out -- which with a drawn out "T" sounds something like "ai ta", or "love him", to Mandarin speakers.

What do you think? Voice your opinion at the new "A Way with Words" discussion forum!

Yakkity-Yak -- Do Talk Back!

2007-08-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so psyched! For years now, I've been aching for an "A Way with Words" discussion forum, where we could continue some of the conversations we begin on the show. Each week after our show airs, we get so many eloquent, insightful, and entertaining letters from you. And we haven't had anyplace to share all those wonderful thoughts (not to mention when you call or write to correct us).

Well, now you can not only respond to those shows, ask questions, start new conversations -- AND make yourself heard to a worldwide audience. Check out the new "A Way with Words" discussion forum at waywordradio.org And don't be shy about expressing yourself -- that's what it's there for!

Pomma Pomma Pomma Pomma Pomma Pommeleon

2007-08-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Does English grammar really need a pomma point? I don't think so, and I told the Chicago Tribune's Nathan Bierma so here.

What do you think? Do we need a punctuation mark for expressing "mild joy, vague happiness or heightened indifference"? Help me out here -- is this a Canadian thing?

The Scoop on "A Way with Words"

2007-08-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Actually, my brilliant co-host Grant Barrett said it all so well that anything else I might write at this point would be a waste of pixels. Thanks, Grant!

We Raised $256,000!

2007-08-04T09:33:00.001-07:00

In the fight against breast cancer, that is, during the Acura Classic Tennis tournament this week, where I emceed their fundraiser for the Scripps Polster Breast Care Center here in San Diego. Hooray for all those who contributed $256,000 that night. And kudos to the tournament, for ensuring that every single cent of it will go directly to the fight against that disease.

Decision-Making in Public Radio

2007-08-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

For those who remain gobsmacked about KPBS's sudden decision to cancel production of the show, there's some pretty darned interesting discussion of it on one of the KPBS blogs, in which General Manager Doug Myrland tries to explain his reasoning and how decisions are made at the station.

A Special Note to "A Way with Words" Listeners

2007-08-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

You can read the news about KPBS suspending production of "A Way with Words" in the San Diego Union-Tribune. This was part of a massive layoff at the station.

The good news is that Grant and I are already in talks with other radio outlets and potential sponsors who see a bright future for our show’s distribution at the national level.

So I’m sure “A Way with Words” will land well, although of course I’m saddened for our local audience. In the end, as we added podcast listeners and other stations around the country, it seems that continuing to serve our growing national (and international) audience became too much for KPBS to handle.

(In fact, I’ve been spending the summer digging through and trying to answer hundreds of emails we’ve received from ardent listeners around the country and around the world. Sorry if I haven't gotten to yours yet, but honestly, I'm doing my best!)

Meanwhile, I’m very happy to report that my brilliant co-host Grant already has our new “A Way with Words” website up and running. Stop by there and sign up for our email list, which will keep you informed about what we're up to and where "A Way with Words" will land.

http://www.waywordradio.org/

Check it out, and let us know what you think. And if you want to let KPBS know how you feel about their decision, call 619-594-1515 or email Doug Myrland directly at dmyrland@kpbs.org

And thanks again for your continued support of intelligent radio for passionate lovers of language.

Wayword Radio

2007-08-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

More anon, but for now, just know that the "A Way with Words" team is hard at work on some exciting new developments.

So, stay tuned -- and keep those cards and letters comin'! Thanks!

Fighting Cancer, Anyone?

2007-07-31T23:08:00.001-07:00

I'm proud to say that on Thursday, I'll join tennis great Pam Shriver as emcee at this year's breast cancer fundraiser at the Acura Classic Tennis Tournament.

Unlike a lot of charities, particularly fundraisers for breast cancer, every single cent raised goes directly to breast cancer screening and care. Proceeds benefit the Scripps Polster Breast Care Center here in San Diego. And although tickets are running out fast, there's still time to buy a table at this event for a most worthy cause.

The Acura Classic, by the way, has come a long, long way in its 24 years. But this is its last hurrah, so if you ever wanted to check out this premier sporting event in Southern California, this is the week to do it.

Sneak Preview of "Anyone & Everyone"

2007-07-24T16:37:00.001-07:00

I'll be moderating a panel discussion at KPBS on Thursday night after the sneak preview of the new film, "Anyone & Everyone." It's a documentary by bestselling author Susan Polis Schutz. See it before the rest of the nation does. Deets here.

UPDATE: The response to this invitation has been overwhelming! The event's free, but the reserved seating in the KPBS studio for this screening is almost gone. (And it's a big studio, too!) So if you want to make sure you get a seat at this event Thursday evening at 6:30, call 619-594-3119 right away. Tell 'em Martha sentcha!

Comma Cropper

2007-07-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

See? I'm not the only one upset about commas. Newsweek's Robert J. Samuelson is, too. He doesn't seem to share my angst specifically about the serial comma, mind you. But still, in this week's column, "The Sad Fate of the Comma," he observes:

Commas are disparaged as literary clutter. They're axed in the name of stylistic "simplicity." Once, introductory prepositional phrases ("In 1776, Thomas Jefferson ... ") routinely took commas; once, compound sentences were strictly divided by commas; once, sentences that began with "once," "naturally," "surprisingly," "inevitably" and the like usually took a comma to set them apart.
No more. These and other usages have slowly become discretionary or unacceptable. Over the years, copy editors have stripped thousands of defenseless commas from my stories. I have saved every last one of them and piled them all on a secluded corner of my desk. They deserve better than they're getting. So here are some of my discarded commas, taking a long-overdue bow: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
I'm not quitting quietly. By my count, this column contains 104 commas. Note to copy desk: leave them be.

Right on, Robert. Read the whole thing here.

You Can't Judge a Book By Its . . .

2007-07-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE my readers. But don't ever let me even think of doing this, okay?

Making Sense of "Like"

2007-07-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Patricia T. O'Conner writes in today's New York Times column about the bane of so many sticklers' existence -- the word "like" -- and makes a lot of sense.

Name that Kid!

2007-07-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Geez, maybe Grant and I should get into the baby-naming biz. After all, he and Sarah did a fine job naming little Guthrie. Well, here's a long article in the Wall Street Journal about the growing business of baby-name consultants.

Or maybe we should have a section on "A Way with Words" where prospective parents call in with their prospective progeny's proposed monikers, and you tell us (and them) what you think. How does that sound?

One thing's for sure: Before parents get too attached to a name, it pays to google. As the article points out:

When Julie Tiedens, 34, a high school teacher who lives near Eau Claire, Wis., typed her favorite name for a girl, Zoe Rose, into the search engine, she was forced to go back to the drawing board. The name was already taken -- by a British porn star. "It was on the first page that came up," she says.

Today's Term: "Weird Life"

2007-07-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Really interesting article in Saturday's New York Times about stepping up the search for "weird life." That's what scientists call organisms that lack DNA or other familiar molecules -- maybe even carbon or water. The writer of the article, Carl Zimmer, keeps a cool blog here.

GB + MB on BBC

2007-07-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

Grant and I had a great time last night on the BBC program "Up All Night." We spent an hour talking with the host, Dotun Adebayo, and author/broadcaster/indefatigable polymath Graeme Donald, about the differences between American and British English.

They don't archive their shows online for more than a week, but for now you can hear all the good-natured sparring here about our respective Englishes here.

UPDATE: Grant has been kind enough to post it as a much-easier-to-reach MP3 here, so hooray.

Palindromes Galore!

2007-07-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome, podcast listeners! Here, as promised, in my most recent summer podcast of "A Way with Words," is a link to the lyrics of the Weird Al Yankovic palindrome song.

You can also download Yankovic's song from iTunes. While you're there, I'd appreciate it if you'd take an extra moment to go to the podcast section to vote for "A Way with Words" by scribbling a quick (and of course, enthusiastic) review of our show. Just a line or two is plenty. That lets The Powers That Be know that you appreciate witty, well-informed conversation about language and want us to keep it coming! And it helps spread the word about our show. If you do write a review, please drop me a line so I can send you a personal note of thanks.

One more thing: Check out this extremely cool palindrome in Latin.

Word Lovers' Summer Reads

2007-07-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

The good folks at Thinkmap, creators of the popular online tool, Visual Thesaurus, (and proud sponsors of "A Way with Words") are offering a whole beachbag-full of great summer reads for word lovers. You'll find recommendations from me, including books by David Sacks and Kristin Espinasse, as well as from logolepts Erin McKean and Nancy Pearl, the latter of whom is the only librarian I know who has her own action figure. Press the button and she shushes!

You'll have to subscribe to Visual Thesaurus to get beyond the first page, but you can get a refundable 14-day subscription for as little as $2.95. Such a bargain!

At Your Service!

2007-07-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Just back from London, where I met with radio colleagues from that side of the pond, then headed out to Wimbledon to watch some tennis. Here I am at Centre Court.

Heard many comments about how very weird the place is without the roof, which I'm told made the place feel much more intimate. "Now it feels like any other stadium in America" was a common refrain. I happened to be there the day that British favorite Tim Henman outlasted Spain's Carlos Moya in a thriller of a match. Which reminds me of how much I enjoy picking up new-to-me expressions from British newspapers, one of which noted the next day that Henman prevailed over the Spaniard because Henman has "big onions." (Onions?)

Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to take advantage of the show's summer hiatus by digging through mounds of email that have been accumulating in recent weeks. I'm extremely grateful for all of it, and especially for all your recent comments about my rant about the serial comma. Don't forget that during our summer hiatus, we'll continue to post a new mini-broadcast every Wednesday. This week, Grant explains what a "walking school bus" is.

Come Party with KPBS!

2007-06-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

If you're in San Diego at the end of this month, you can catch me and fellow verbivore Richard Lederer at this spectacular event on the Embarcadero, when we'll be part of the program with the San Diego Symphony.

News about "A Way with Words"

2007-06-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

We're about to go on our usual summer hiatus, so Grant and I can see what other kind of trouble we can get into for a few weeks.

So, if you're listening over the airwaves, you'll hear a few reruns. But Grant and I wanted to keep in touch with you podcasters, so we're trying something new. Each Wednesday -- starting this week -- we’ll post a new podcast in which we share whatever's on our minds. We’ll also play some word games, share your emails and insights, share a few calls that we didn't have room for on the air -- and maybe even bring you a couple of surprises along the way.

Think of these mini-podcasts as, well, “ears d’oeuvres” before the main course starts up again in the fall. If you're already subscribed to our feed, you don't need to change a thing. If you'd like to sign up, you can do so through iTunes (it's free!) Or right here.

This week, I'll elaborate on my rant about the serial comma, which some of you have already been discussing here.

In the meantime, I'll continue to post here, so please keep checking in! And do let us know how you like the ears d'oeuvres!

I'm Like, OMG, What Happened to "I'm All"??

2007-06-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't realize this. In today's "On Language" column, Nathan Bierma reports that a locution that's the bane of many sticklers' existence may in fact be on the way out:

A recent study in the journal American Speech, by Stanford University linguist John Rickford and three co-authors, looks at what linguists call the "quotative" use of "all" -- when the word "all" introduces a quotation, as in, "I'm all, 'No way.'" This usage showed up in American English in the early 1990s, Rickford says, but it's now giving way to an equally informal quote signal: the word "like," as in, "He was like, 'No.'"

. . . . But now, "I'm all" is starting to disappear, the American Speech study says. In a 2005 survey of California high school and college students, Rickford and a team of researchers at Stanford University found that the quotative use of "all" had plummeted since the early 1990s. In their study, speakers used "all" less than 5 percent of the time they introduced quotations, down from 45 percent in 1994. "All" had even fallen behind the word "said," which was used 12 percent of the time.

What do you think? Will you be all upset about the demise of "I'm all"?

The Making of a Writer

2007-06-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

From the "Well, There Could Be Worse Reasons" Department, Andrew O'Hagan gives the opening address at the Sydney Writers' Festival and reveals his own inspiration for becoming a writer:

My brothers and I were always hanging around our house at night looking for things to burn, but this night I found myself watching Dr Zhivago. There’s a scene in that movie when Omar Sharif comes gliding down the stairs in a flowing dressing gown, Omar Sharif, you know, following his rather impressive moustache down the stairs. Well, he arrives in this room – a giant study, you know, French windows, flowery armchairs, the lot. He sits down at this elegant ecritoir and looks out of the windows, where he sees, in quick succession, a host of daffodils, a bank of snow, a full moon and a herd of deer. (God bless Hollywood.) Anyhow, I’m watching this with wide eyes. Next thing he lifts up a feather pen and – without any ink blotches or crossings out or mistakes, and it takes him about 3.4 nanoseconds – he writes the "Sonnet to Lara’. After which he goes upstairs and goes to bed with Julie Christie. I remember watching that very closely and thinking, "I could do that."

Tusk, tusk

2007-06-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

How cool is it that they just discovered the remains of a mastodon here in San Diego County?

Almost as cool as the fact that this animals name derives from Greek words that mean "nipple-tooth." (And yes, "mastodon" a linguistic relative of all those breast-related words that start with "mast-," and to tooth-related words like "orthodontist.")

And That Other Blog Is . . .

2007-06-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

And since you asked, here's that other blog Grant mentioned on the show last weekend: The Name Inspector.

Blog This!

2007-06-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Several folks have written to ask the name of the Wall Street Journal's editing blog that Grant mentioned during this past weekend's show. (You know, the episode in which my co-host explained that yes, he actually does subscribe to hundreds of blogs, and reads a daily shortlist of about 40 to 50.) Anyway, the blog that he recommended is Style and Substance.

So, Go See This Play

2007-06-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

If you're a word lover in the San Diego area, you still have time to check out a hilarious series of vignettes at the Sixth Avenue Bistro. You should.

The segment about trying to learn a universal language is priceless (and nearly indescribable). The one about Philip Glass buying a loaf of bread sends the production out on a high note (actually, several of them). And a wacky vignette featuring a newly murdered Leon Trotsky has some surprisingly moving moments.

It's a cabaret-style theater, so you can order munchies and libations while treating your brain to an energetic, entertaining workout.

Read more about the play, directed by Glenn Paris and Claudio Raygoza, here and here.

Of Stud Muffins and Hotties

2007-06-10T12:49:00.001-07:00

Well, of course Grant Barrett knows from hotties. I mean, the guy works with ME, right? Anyway, William Safire quotes him in the New York Times about the word's origin.

And Speaking of the Chicago Tribune

2007-06-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

I understand that the Trib is considering eliminating its weekly "On Language" column by Nathan Bierma, whom I've quoted several times here and on "A Way with Words." That would be a shame. If you agree, please take a moment right now to drop a quick line to the editors. Let them know that there are plenty of us language lovers out here who remain eager to "read all about it": ctc-tempo@tribune.com.

What's in a Name?

2007-06-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

A Chicago Tribune columnist questions journalists' frequent use of a female candidate's first name, while all her male opponents are referred to by their last names. What do you think?

A Rosewater by Any Other Name?

2007-06-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Steve Rivkin, an occasional guest on our show, offers up a product name from the "What They Thinking?" Department.

Problems with Entourage email program

2007-06-03T14:15:00.001-07:00

Does your email program ever make you feel like this?

That's how I felt this weekend after I tried to create a bunch of rules for the Entourage email program I use with this MacBook. I was trying to direct various sorts of emails to different folders, which I have done without problems in the past. This time, though, the email program proceeded to go nutso -- even when I deleted all the rules and the new folders that I'd created. Having nosed around on the net, I've come to believe that my database may be corrupted. In any case, if you email me and I don't respond, it may be because my email program has stuffed it behind a cybercouch or dropped it through the cybercracks. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to saying, "Arrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!"

Today's Term: Paper-based Computing

2007-05-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

I want one of these!

Is There a Violinist in the Gay Church's Bathroom or Not?

2007-05-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Over at the Chicago Tribune, Nathan Bierma's writing this week about the controversial serial comma. You know, that last comma in a phrase like "red, white, and blue." A lot of newspaper style guides these days order that it be yanked from reporters' copy, so you get things like: "At the store we bought Eggos, syrup, butter and deodorant."

Where did newspaper editors get the idea that this rule makes any sense? I hate this notion. Hate it, hate it, hate it. The serial comma should be used consistently, because grammar is, after all, supposed to help you express yourself clearly -- not undermine your meaning.

If you're not consistent about using the serial comma, then you wind up with goofs like the pious author who dedicated his book to "My parents, the Pope and Mother Teresa." Ooopsie!

An article in this week's Time magazine made me do a similar doubletake just now. It notes that Dallas, Texas is fast becoming quite the gay-friendly city (yes, that Dallas, Texas):

Both the Dallas sheriff and the county judge--an Old West title meaning chairman of the county commissioners--are openly gay. The district clerk is gay too, and Dallas is home to what is said to be the largest gay church in the world, the Cathedral of Hope, which has 3,500 members, a full choir, a violinist and long-stemmed roses in the bathroom.

Now tell me, are parishoners serenaded or not when they pee? How do we know for sure? If we all used the serial comma consistently, there'd be no doubt. Feh.

Update: Note that in the comments section below, a staffer assures that the Cathedral of Hope most certainly does not have a fiddler on the loo.

Do We Need a Pomma Point?

2007-05-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Seems a Canadian has come up with a new punctuation symbol that would enable the writer to express "mild surprise." Eh?

Doing Your Bidding

2007-05-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

Lots of cool things in the new KPBS Online Auction. If you love travel, check out the trips to Peru and China. If you're a fan of women's tennis, check out the amazing VIP package at the Acura Classic Tennis Tournament this summer.

There's much more, and of course, it's all for a good cause -- supporting high-quality public radio -- so check it out before bidding closes a few days from now!

Btw, they're adding more auction items to the site each day, and I'm told that any day now, yours truly will be added to the list of KPBS "Personality Experiences." Whatever that means. So surely you'll want to keep checking back in, right?

I Am SO Thinking of Declaring This!

2007-05-01T10:06:00.001-07:00

Email bankruptcy! Now, why didn't I think of that?

Getcher Own Church Sign Here

2007-04-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

Create your very own church sign here. (I know I should come up with some terribly clever example and illustrate this post with it, but I'm leaving that up to you folks!)

Getcher Grant Fix Here!

2007-04-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Talk about a beautiful mind. Here's the transcript of Grant's chat about whether slang is degrading English. It's on Anu Garg's Word-A-Day site. A sampling of Grant's thoughts on the matter:

Look, degradation is, in some ways, about reducing the level of discourse, which slang almost always does. But! That degradation is not permanent. Slang is declawed, domesticated, and before you know it is lounging by the fire lapping up cream.

Is Today's Slang Ruining English?

2007-04-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Or does slang, on the contrary, invigorate our tongue?

Here's your chance to kick around these and other questions this coming Sunday night with slang lexicographer (a.k.a. my fabulous co-host) Grant Barrett. He's doing an online chat at wordsmith.org, Anu Garg's site featuring the popular Word-A-Day email newsletter.

Grant will be slingin' slang this Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific. More deets here.