That's What They Say
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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 Rina Miller.
That's What They Say
5d ago
In the age of the internet, if you don’t know the answer to something, you can just search it up online — even if your question is about the verb “search up ..read more
That's What They Say
1w ago
If you prove something to be true, then it’s proven. Or is it proved ..read more
That's What They Say
2w ago
As language nerds are wont to do, they get curious about words like “wont” and its relationship with “want ..read more
That's What They Say
1M ago
Geologically speaking, epicenters are dangerous places to be. They’ve also raised some usage questions which are probably less dangerous, though it may depend on who you ask ..read more
That's What They Say
1M ago
Given that we can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, it's completely reasonable to ask what it means to just be whelmed ..read more
That's What They Say
2M ago
When we fly, we’re in a pressurized cabin. When we’re trying to get someone to do something, some of us may pressurize them ..read more
That's What They Say
3M ago
When a magician performs the classic trick of sawing their assistant in half, what happens to the person inside the box? Were they "sawed" in half, or were they "sawn" in half ..read more
That's What They Say
3M ago
English spellings such as “knight” and “gnat” capture earlier pronunciations of these words. The same cannot be said of the peculiar assemblage of letters in “island ..read more
That's What They Say
3M ago
Some of us learned that “the reason” and “because” shouldn’t be used in the same sentence. The reason this bothers some people is because it's redundant ..read more
That's What They Say
4M ago
Some things go together like peas and carrots. Others go together like carrots and sticks, which could mean a lot of different things, depending on how you use this phrase ..read more