Language Commentator Geoffrey Nunberg, unhappy with his job description, tries on a few other possibilities while dissecting the very notion of a "language commentator."
Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg looks at the influence of the word on the visual arts...starting with the Dada movement and the montage works of the 30s, up to current poster and electric sign work by Jenny Holzer.
Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg examines the blurbs on book jackets...those hyperbolic quotes that declare seemingly every new book to be "a blockbuster" or "runaway best-seller."
Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg reviews a new book called "Doublespeak" by William Lutz, chairman of the Committee on Public Doublespeak of the National Council of Teachers of English. Lutz has been keeping files with examples of doublespeak used in politics and advertising and has compiled some of them in his book.
Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg tells us why cursing ain't what it used to me. He explains how in Elizabethan times an oath carried with it the true fear of God. (Note: Nunberg uses some examples in this commentary, for example "Jesus Christ!" "Goddamn it," and "son of a bitch.")
Language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg has some thoughts on the different accents you'll find in California. Not all of them are as distinctive as those of a "Valley Girl." (originally broadcast 3/9/88).
Computer word processing has changed the way writers think of their work. Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg was an early and enthusiastic convert to the new technology but now he is beginning to have second thoughts.
Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that the attention paid to how people talk says more about class status and regionalism than a decline in effective communication. He explains.
The French government will officially simplify the spelling of several dozen words, claiming the change will make their national language more accessible and appealing to foreigners. Linguist Geoff Nunberg questions the efficacy of the initiative, and considers how countries define themselves through culture and legislation.