Our Quiz Master John Chaneski leads us on a puzzle hunt, starting in a world capital that’s a homophone for a type of music or food. (Hint: This Asian capital hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics.) This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Our Quiz Master John Chaneski has a game that’s all about the letter O. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Phrases with “O” Quiz” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and...
There’s a rule for the pronunciation of the word “the.” If it’s followed by a word whose first letter is a vowel, sticklers say it should be pronounced like “/thee/,” as in, the end. If followed by a consonant, it...
Mike in Seattle grew up in Sitka, Alaska, and wonders whether there really is an Alaskan accent or just a mix of voices brought by newcomers. Alaskan English has regional pockets, but many speakers share features with western Canadian English and...
A Dallas listener says he was confused at first when a friend from rural North Dakota reported coming home and finding a moose in his kitchen. Only later did he learn what difference the so-called Canadian raising of a vowel can make. More about...
Do you say something happened on accident or by accident? Is text-messaging destroying our kids’ writing ability? Where do horseradish, zarf, and ignoramus come from?