Grandparent names don’t stop at Grandma and Grampa. After a Baton Rouge newspaper asked readers for unusual family names, the replies filled a “grandparents’ glossary” with forms such as Gammy, Bumpy, Kiki, Monga, Pots, Rah-Rah, and Woo-Woo. Many...
There are nearly 7,000 languages in the world today, and by some estimates, they’re dying off at the rate of one every week. What’s lost when a language dies? Martha and Grant discuss that question and efforts to record some endangered...
A former West Virginian reports that she grew up hearing a strange word: charny. In her part of the country, she says, it means “dirty” or “filthy,” and she always heard it pronounced “chee-YAR-nee.” This is part...