Holy wah, a Yooper corruption of “wow”, is specific to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Evidently, it comes in handy when spotting a bear. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Holy Wah” Hello, you have A Way...
A listener from Fairfield, Connecticut, wonders why she changes her accent and diction when family members from the Middle East are in town. Truth it, everyone does this. It’s a matter of imitating those around us in order to make ourselves...
If you master a second language by the age of ten, native speakers won’t recognize that it’s not your first. Even so, things like idioms or prepositions can often trip up even the most skilled second-language speakers, if their second...
Kids often imitate French or Chinese speakers without knowing the language. But have you ever tried to imitate the English language or speak fake English? There are lots of YouTube videos that give an idea of what English sounds like to native...
John from Richmond, Indiana, wonders whether writing voilà as walla, wallah, or vwala is becoming acceptable after seeing the mistake in a school note and online. The spelling voilà comes from French for “there it is,” even though many Americans use...
Mark from Dallas asks about a friend who pronounces garage with an extra r sound. Gararge? English has several common pronunciations of garage, including versions that rhyme with barrage and, in British English, carriage. That bonus r resembles the...