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Semantic Satiation

We’ve all had the experience of saying a word over and over again until it starts to sound like nonsense. Linguists call this semantic satiation, although you might also think of it as Gnarly Foot phenomenon. Stare at your foot long enough, and you’ll start to wonder how such a bizarre-looking thing could ever be attached to your body. Something similar happens with language. This is part of a complete episode.

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