Sinopsis
Funner, snuck, and LOL are all things that we're hearing people say these days. That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Radio that explores our changing language.University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan studies linguistics and the history of the English language. Each week she'll discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Radio Weekend Edition host Rebecca Kruth.
Episodios
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TWTS: Fore! It's a lightning round
06/04/2026 Duración: 05minThis may be one of the only times that throw pillows, golf, and curling all get wrapped into the same discussion.
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TWTS: Humbled in victory, humbled in defeat
30/03/2026 Duración: 05minWhen we get schooled at something, we may feel humbled by the experience; but when we win something, we may also say we feel humbled by the experience.
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TWTS: When a reign becomes rain
23/03/2026 Duración: 05minWhen terror rains down, we suddenly have a spelling question.
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TWTS: The Declaration of ... Independency?
13/03/2026 Duración: 05minThe Declaration of Independence could readily have been the Declaration of Independency.
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TWTS: Bereft or just lacking?
09/03/2026 Duración: 05minWe can be bereaved, we can be bereft, and sometimes we can be both bereaved and bereft.
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TWTS: The wonky journey of "wonky"
28/02/2026 Duración: 05minThere are a few different ways to be wonky, some of which are positive and some of which, not so much.
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TWTS: Not all sounds resonate
20/02/2026 Duración: 05minThe way some people use "resonate" doesn't resonate with all of our listeners.
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TWTS: If you're in hurry, you should scurry
16/02/2026 Duración: 05minIf we’re involved in a hurry-scurry retreat or a harum-scarum dash, perhaps things are also helter-skelter.
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TWTS: The right snuff
08/02/2026 Duración: 05minIf you’re not up to snuff, you’re not up to scratch and maybe you don’t get a cigar.
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TWTS: A recurring question can reoccur
31/01/2026 Duración: 04minThis week’s question has not been a recurring one, by which we mean it has occurred once and not reoccurred.
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TWTS: For crotchety cranks who crochet
26/01/2026 Duración: 05minIf it seems unlikely that crotchety people are related, at least etymologically, to those who do crochet, stay tuned.
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TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2025 Word of the Year is...
17/01/2026 Duración: 05minGiven how much we’re talking about AI right now, it’s no surprise that AI-related words featured prominently in this year’s word of the year vote.
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TWTS: Generics
12/01/2026 Duración: 04minSometimes we don’t realize that we’re using a trademarked term differently from those around us.
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TWTS: When language gets spicy
02/01/2026 Duración: 05minWe can pepper our food or pepper our speech or, if the mood strikes us, we can be peppy in a pep rally kind of way.
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TWTS: Wishes for good fortune and days off
29/12/2025 Duración: 04min‘Tis the season to talk about "‘tis" and "‘twas" and, while we’re at it, "hap."
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TWTS: Keep your trousers, breeches, and pants on
21/12/2025 Duración: 05minIf you’re too big for your britches, maybe you’re all mouth and trousers.
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TWTS: A brief history of pants
13/12/2025 Duración: 05minThe word "pants" has oodles of good linguistic stories to tell, and that’s no pile of pants.
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TWTS: Reeling in the small fry
08/12/2025 Duración: 05minIt's a time of year when many of us are cooking and eating big meals together which may involve fried food and "small fry."
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TWTS: When downloading gets emotional
29/11/2025 Duración: 05minNow that we can "download" some "mashups," we should talk about how these words have changed over time.
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TWTS: Movers and shakers made into shapers
24/11/2025 Duración: 04minAs we merrily roll along, we might be moving and shaking, with maybe some shaping in there too.