Cover image of Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

A podcast about language, with host John McWhorter. lexiconvalley.substack.com

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Ranked #1

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Report of the Trial of Levi Weeks

Report of the Trial of Levi Weeks

The trial transcript of a 225-year-old murder is filled with fascinating evidence of the way we used to talk. John expla... Read more

17 Jul 2023

29mins

Ranked #2

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I Got My Nails Did!

I Got My Nails Did!

Many English verbs have three forms — sing, sang and sung, for example. The problem is that speakers seem to want only t... Read more

9 Jun 2023

29mins

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Ranked #3

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To v. Too

To v. Too

Too — whether about excess, addition or contradiction — evolved from to. John explains. This is a public episode. If you... Read more

9 May 2023

27mins

Ranked #4

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Picture of Health

Picture of Health

Some languages adopt their “health” word from the concept of wholeness — a metaphor that makes perfect sense. Other lang... Read more

24 Apr 2023

23mins

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Ranked #5

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The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

Like the French word droit, English’s right has taken on a number of useful metaphorical meanings. John explains. This i... Read more

3 Apr 2023

28mins

Ranked #6

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Age, Color, Origin, Material

Age, Color, Origin, Material

In this favorite from the archives, John discusses some unwritten rules of English that can be remarkably difficult for ... Read more

20 Mar 2023

24mins

Ranked #7

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One for the Record Books

One for the Record Books

The word “record” can be broken down into two parts, the re and the cord. But what do those parts even mean? John explai... Read more

6 Mar 2023

25mins

Ranked #8

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Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?

Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Like That?

John is traveling this week and so we’re running a previous episode about the speech patterns of Bette Davis, George Ger... Read more

20 Feb 2023

30mins

Ranked #9

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Past Master

Past Master

So many of our words have ugly associations that are particular to a historical time or event. Should we expunge them en... Read more

5 Feb 2023

24mins

Ranked #10

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Are You Tryna Hear This?

Are You Tryna Hear This?

Words that come to mean “want” often start out meaning something else. Take “want,” for example. John explains. This is ... Read more

22 Jan 2023

31mins

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