You might do nothing. You might do zilch. But if you do bugger all, you’re really doing the minimum.
But wait — how did the phrase bugger all become a negative, in the complete absence of any negative words?
There …
Category: syntax (page 1 of 2)
It’s time once again to dig into our overflowing mailbag.
- What’s the difference between a hill, a mountain, and a mount?
- Why do we seem to add a negative suffix to positive words, and not the other
It’s another dive into the Mailbag.
What’s the hardest language to lip read? Why do we say but at the end of sentences? And what can you call the non-binary parent in your life?
Daniel, Kylie, and Ben…
We’re continuing our discussion of a controversial paper about how new languages get started.
When you start talking about creole languages, the linguistic becomes the political very quickly. So what are linguists saying about this work? And is there anything …
This episode going to love you are!
Here’s a linguistic puzzle: Why does “I like you” sound okay, but “Like you I” sounds weird and Yoda-ish? Well, that’s just how English rolls: subjects come first. But surprisingly, most other human …
Why do all human languages resemble each other? And how do children learn language so fast?
For many linguists, the answer is Universal Grammar. It’s one of the biggest ideas in linguistics, but now it might possibly be coming unstuck. …
Other animals don’t have language like we do, but some of them might be getting awfully close.
A recent experiment claims that some birds use a form of syntax — that they combine their signals in a way that’s always …
Our listeners have questions, and we have answers.
Why do we say boo? or a whole ‘nother? And our Latin-minded friends have a few questions, as well.
Linguist Daniel Midgley answers them all on this episode of Talk …
You have questions, and we have answers.
But in the process we find out more about how English works, and how it got to be the way it is.
Daniel and Ben empty out the mailbag on this episode of …
Is there anything that all human languages have in common?
With all the diversity in the world’s languages, a true universal is hard to find. But new research has unearthed a principle involving the distances between words, and this discovery …
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- CBAA Awards 2018: Best Radio Program — Talk
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- Talkley Award 2018
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