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Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

A Way with Words, a radio show and podcast about language and linguistics.

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The changing meanings of words
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2011/04/08 - 8:20pm

Here's a link to an interesting article by Ben Yagoda on Slate.com about the changing meanings of words and the pros and cons of clinging to "old" meanings against a rising tide. What I found perhaps most interesting is the quiz he gave his students — university students in an advanced writing seminar — and their high rates of use, by overwhelming margins, of the "new" meanings of several common (some, such as nonplussed, might be somewhat uncommon) words.

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