Are more and more people talking about standing behind a podium? A San Diegan says the traditional rule has been that one stands behind a lectern and stands on a podium. Has this traditional rule changed? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Behind a Podium”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Yes, this is Joel calling from El Cajon, California.
Well, hello, Joel. What’s going on?
Not much. I had a question for you.
Let’s hear it.
It’s the use of the word podium.
Oh, podium.
Yes, and I had always thought that podium was a raised platform upon which you stand behind a lectern.
Yet many people use what I think of as a lectern and point to it and call it a podium.
And Joel, how does that make you feel?
I especially cringe when I’m at an airport at the check-in gate and they announce over the loudspeaker system,
Would passenger Smith please step up to the podium?
And I see no raised platform and I’m confused.
And so did you call to rant about this?
It is, as another author has this windmill for apostrophes, this has become my windmill, if you will.
Well, you know what, Joel?
If I could, I would give you a big, sloppy, wet kiss on the cheek.
On the cheek.
Thank you.
Because I feel your pain here, Joel.
Well, absolutely, podium comes from, ultimately, a Greek word meaning foot.
Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that it has to hold it.
Yeah, but hear me out.
Hear me out.
It’s like podiatrist.
The doctor who looks after your feet is like antipodes, the people on the other side of the world from us.
Exactly.
There’s a big old foot in that word.
There sure is.
Having said that, though, Joel, I’m sorry to say that for people like you and me, I find this really disappointing.
But if you look it up in the dictionary these days, so many people have started using podium to mean lectern, that podium is slipping out from under us.
Yes, and that it is becoming misused so much that it’s becoming accepted.
Yes.
It’s becoming differently used.
Differently used.
No, misused.
Okay, differently used.
So if you and I for the next got a group of people together and started calling a table a chair because we sit on it occasionally,
After about 100 years it would eventually evolve that tables could be called chairs?
Yeah, and that’s kind of the way English works, but yeah.
Podium has been being used this way for more than 50 years,
And some of the dictionaries actually specifically point out
That the lectern-like desk at the airport is called that.
So the airport usage, it’s funny that you should notice that
Because they specifically say that’s a place where you’ll see it used that way.
I think you see this more on this side of the pond than in Britain.
Yeah, they don’t do that over there. It’s mostly North America.
Yeah, so I think, you know, Joel, for those of us who like to see the history buried inside a word,
We’ll just have to, you know, have a secret handshake or something.
Okay.
All right.
Well, thanks for your call, Joel.
Well, thank you for taking my call.
All right.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
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The podium is open.
