Cover image of The Owlish Folk

The Owlish Folk

A podcast that answers questions about the English language. In each episode we talk about - and attempt to answer - a question about a feature or quirk of the English language.If you are interested i... Read more

Ranked #1

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7. Why isn't October the eighth month of the calendar year?

7. Why isn't October the eighth month of the calendar year?

In this episode, Amanda and Dave discuss the origin of the months of the year. They also discuss the history of the cale... Read more

19 Sep 2018

17mins

Ranked #2

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22. Escher Sentences

22. Escher Sentences

In this owlet episode, Amanda and Dave talk about the interesting concept of Escher sentences, also known as "comparativ... Read more

10 Apr 2019

22mins

Ranked #3

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6. You and We

6. You and We

In this episode, Amanda and Dave discuss the history and unusual usage of the pronouns "you" and "we". They also explain... Read more

5 Sep 2018

16mins

Ranked #4

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17. Interview Series: Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas?

17. Interview Series: Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas?

In this episode, Amanda and Dave have the first of many discussions entitled the "Interview Series" wherein a guest come... Read more

2 Jan 2019

50mins

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Ranked #5

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16. A Stocking Full of Christmas Words

16. A Stocking Full of Christmas Words

 In this episode, Amanda and Dave discuss some interesting words related to Christmas. You can contact the show with qu... Read more

21 Dec 2018

18mins

Ranked #6

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13. The Entire History of Q

13. The Entire History of Q

In this episode, Amanda and Dave discuss the history of the letter "Q." They also discuss why "Q" and "U" do, and do not... Read more

16 Nov 2018

26mins

Ranked #7

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9. Myths, illness, and toilets

9. Myths, illness, and toilets

In this owlet, Amanda is off sick so Dave talks about some language myths concerning a nursery rhyme, vomit, and the toi... Read more

16 Oct 2018

16mins

Ranked #8

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21. Are door keys related to musical keys?

21. Are door keys related to musical keys?

In this episode, Amanda and Dave determine if there is a relationship between musical keys and door keys.  Other musical... Read more

29 Mar 2019

31mins

Ranked #9

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15. How can one word have opposite meanings?

15. How can one word have opposite meanings?

In this episode, Amanda and Dave discuss the many different kinds of contronyms: words which have two opposite meanings.... Read more

13 Dec 2018

27mins

Ranked #10

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4. Plural Names and Game

4. Plural Names and Game

In this episode, Amanda and Dave discuss the different ways animal names are pluralized. For example, we have a cow/some... Read more

24 Jul 2018

17mins

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