A Way with Words

Series produced by A Way with Words

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A Way with Words is a national, lively, hour-long public radio show about language, on the air since 1998. Author/journalist Martha Barnette and linguist/lexicographer Grant Barrett take listener calls about slang, grammar, old sayings, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing well. There are no carriage fees.

Learn more about the show, its hosts, and its history, and read station and listener testimonials on the A Way with Words website.


222 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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When an international team of scientists traveled to a research station in Antarctica for six months, the language they all shared was English. Aft...

Bought by KTSW 89.9, KVSC, Tri States Public Radio, WUOT 91.9 FM, KECG and more


  • Added: Apr 15, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
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Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after ...

Bought by KTSW 89.9, WHCP-LP Cambridge, WPCA-LP, WNIN, Red River Radio Network (E. Texas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Mississippi) and more


  • Added: Apr 08, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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How can you kick the verbal habit of saying You know and um so many times in a sentence? For one thing, get comfortable with pauses. There's no nee...

Bought by KTXK, Raven Radio, KECG, WPCA-LP, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Apr 01, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell sugg...

Bought by Raven Radio, WPCA-LP, RadioStPete Florida, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), KTXK and more


  • Added: Mar 25, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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In her sumptuous new memoir, Jamaican writer Safiya Sinclair describes her escape from a difficult childhood ruled by her tyrannical father. For Si...

Bought by KTXK, WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), RADIOLEX, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Mar 18, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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One way to make your new business look trendy is to use two nouns separated by an ampersand, like Peach & Creature . . . or Rainstorm & Egg. A tong...

Bought by KTXK, Red River Radio Network (E. Texas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Mississippi), WPCA-LP, WHCP-LP Cambridge, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio) and more


  • Added: Mar 11, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
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What's the best thing to say to someone who is grieving? Choosing the right words is far less important than just showing up in the first place. Al...

Bought by KTSW 89.9, KTXK, KVSC, WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio) and more


  • Added: Mar 04, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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"What has a head like a cat, feet like a cat, a tail like a cat, but isn't a cat?" Answer: a kitten! A 1948 children's joke book has lots of these ...

Bought by KECG, WPCA-LP, WNIN, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Feb 26, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
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In Japan, if you want to order a corndog, you ask for an Amerikan doggu (アメリカンドッグ). These types of coinages are called wasei-eigo, or "Japanese-mad...

Bought by Raven Radio, KECG, WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Feb 19, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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Book recommendations and the art of apology. Martha and Grant share some good reads, including an opinionated romp through English grammar, a Spani...

Bought by WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WNIN, WHCP-LP Cambridge, KTXK and more


  • Added: Feb 12, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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If you're in a book club, how do you decide what books to read? There are lots of different ways, depending on your group's goals. And is it ever w...

Bought by WPCA-LP, RADIOLEX, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WHCP-LP Cambridge, WNIN and more


  • Added: Feb 05, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
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The edge of the Grand Canyon. A remote mountaintop, or a medieval cathedral. Some places are so mystical you feel like you're close to another dime...

Bought by KTXK, WPCA-LP, KTSW 89.9, WNIN, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Jan 29, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
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This week on A Way with Words: Your first name is very personal, but what if you don't like it? For some people, changing their name works out grea...

Bought by WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WNIN, KTSW 89.9, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Jan 22, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
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What do you call a segment of an orange? These juicy pieces of fruit go by lots of different names, including section, wedge, and carpel. But they'...

Bought by KTSW 89.9, Raven Radio, WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WNIN and more


  • Added: Jan 15, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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The autocomplete function on your phone comes in handy, of course. But is it changing the way we write and how linguists study language? Also, supp...

Bought by WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WNIN, KTXK, Tri States Public Radio and more


  • Added: Jan 08, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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How do actors bring Shakespeare's lines to life so that modern audiences immediately understand the text? One way is to emphasize the names of peop...

Bought by KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WPCA-LP, WNIN, Raven Radio, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Jan 01, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
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If you skip wearing underwear, you're said to be going commando. This bit of slang originated during the Vietnam War, when U.S. commandos had compe...

Bought by KECG, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WPCA-LP, WNIN, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Dec 25, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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Stunt performers in movies have their own jargon for talking about their dangerous work. They refer to a stunt, for example, as a gag. Across the c...

Bought by KTXK, WPCA-LP, WHCP-LP Cambridge, WNIN, Red River Radio Network (E. Texas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Mississippi) and more


  • Added: Dec 18, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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Crossword puzzles are a marvelous mental workout. A delightful new book about them shares plenty of crossword lore and puzzle-solving tips. Also, p...

Bought by KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WNIN, WPCA-LP, KTSW 89.9, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Dec 11, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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We asked for your thoughts about whether cursive writing should be taught in schools -- and you replied with a resounding "Yes!" Here's why: Cursiv...

Bought by CI Dolphin Radio, WPCA-LP, KHOL (Jackson Hole Community Radio), WHCP-LP Cambridge, WNIN and more


  • Added: Dec 04, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16