English Language

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg on the jingoistic language of the Gulf Crisis. That style of discourse is closely linked to pro-war sentiments during the period of British colonialism.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg comments on the way English speakers use the suffix "e" and "i" to lump together most nationalities in the Middle East (Kuwati, Iraqi...). He says the practice has its roots in the 19th and 20th century colonial period, and says a lot about how we view people in that region.

The author and educator has written a new book call "A Man Without Words." It's a first-person account of her struggle to teach sign language to a deaf man who had reached adulthood without anyone making any effort to teach him how to communicate.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg examines the evolution of the term "politically correct."

The Fresh Air language commentator explains his neologism "cacophomism." It's the opposite of euphemism, and describes all those words that make something sound worse than it is.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg tells us about endangered languages. Some will naturally die based on changing ways of living, while others are actively repressed.

Language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg discusses watching words "head for obscurity."

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg examines the word "zeal." Nunberg has noticed that the euphemism "overzealous" has been used to explain away everything from executions during the French Revolution to the beating of Rodney King.

The Thomas hearings leads linguist Geoffrey Nunberg to wonder, is it "HAIR-ess-ment" or "heh-RASS-ment"?

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg has some thoughts on the literal meaning of "the body politic."

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg examines one of the early rules of grammar we all have shoved down our throats,... the difference between can and may.

In the final few hours before the Super Bowl, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg compares the literary language of football and baseball.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg reviews "Fifty Years Among the New Words," a new collection of columns from the journal "American Speech."

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg looks at the contributions made by two men of language: former Senator S.I. Hayakawa, an English professor and former president of San Francisco State University; and Professor Dwight Bolinger, who he calls "one of the most distinguished semanticists of the age." Both men died last week.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg considers an alternative to the question, "Can computers think?"

Isaac Asimov [a.k.a. Paul French], the prolific science fiction writer, has passed away at the age of 72. Asimov wrote nearly 500 books, and was honored, among other times, in 1966 with a special Hugo Award for the best science fiction series ever for his "Foundation" trilogy. We present highlights from an earlier interview. (Rebroadcast. Originally aired 9/25/87.)

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg considers the difference between the words "force" and "violence."

Anne Soukhanov is the Executive Editor of the new "American Heritage Dictionary of English Language, Third Edition." She's been a lexicographer and editor of reference books for over 20 years. She joins Fresh Air to talk about what new words say about changing culture.

Author James Crawford has spent many years investigating the English Only movement. His most recent book is "Hold Your Tongue: Bilingualism and the Politics of English Only." It explores the underlying racism of an English Language Amendment. He has also edited "Language Loyalties," a comprehensive collection of the major issues and policies surrounding the bilingualism debate.

Caine has made over 70 films, from Alfie to Sleuth to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to Hannah and Her Sisters. He has a new autobiography called "What's It All About?," and will be appearing in the upcoming Muppet's Christmas movie.