Mm-hm, huh, nuh-uh, and a shrugging mm are interjections, also called inserts, vocalisms, or, in conversation, feedback markers. Katie in Bozeman, Montana, noticed that her husband’s little nasal grunt answered “Where’s the dustpan?” clearly enough:...
Many of the world’s languages apparently derived from a prehistoric common ancestor known as Indo-European. But since no one ever wrote down a word of it, how do we know what it was like?
Does it bug you when people talk about themselves in the third person? A caller finds herself mightily annoyed by this habit, which she observes especially among politicians and celebrities. There’s a word for the practice of referring to...
In an earlier episode, the hosts discussed the phrase “all over it like a duck on a junebug,” which refers to doing something with great eagerness. Martha shares an email from a Wisconsin listener who’s watched plenty of ducks...
Grant answers a letter from a listener who wonders if it’s ever correct to use the word fishes instead of fish. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Fish vs. Fishes” Mark, as you know, our email box is overflowing...
A listener says she and her husband called their unborn child “wohube.” What other noms de fetus are there? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Wohube” Every once in a while, Martha, we do a show about family words. We...
