How do languages change and grow? Does every language acquire new words in the same way? Martha and Grant focus on how that process happens in English and Spanish. Plus, the stories behind the Spanish word gringo and the old instruction to...
Keisha from Lafayette, Louisiana, grew up speaking Cajun French in Acadiana and was struck anew by honte, used for acute embarrassment or shame—as in someone feeling deeply honte after an awkward public mishap. It’s not the English haunt and has...
A man who divides his time between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, wonders if linguistic mixtures similar to Spanglish arise at other borders. Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language by Ilan Stavans, offers a look at this...
Alex from Los Angeles, California, remembers his Spanish-speaking grandmother using filibustero to mean “ruffian.” The term shares an origin with English filibuster: both trace back to Dutch vrijbuiter, meaning “freebooter,” a pirate who seizes...
A native of Colombia wants to know: Do different languages add new words in similar ways? He believes that Spanish, for example, is far less open to innovation than English. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Adding New...
How sour is it? If you speak German, you might answer with a phrase that translates as “That’s so sour it will pull the holes in your socks together.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “How Sour is It?”...