2024-07-02
37 分钟Anne Curzan is a professional word nerd. As a linguist and English professor, Anne studies the history of the English language — and how public attitudes about words shift over time. Adam and Anne geek out over whether the grammar rules you learned in school are justified, why some language peeves are (or aren't) worth holding onto, and confess what they're learning from Gen-Z slang. Anne's latest book, Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide For Everyone Who Cares About Words, is out now.Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts
Ted audio collective.
I think part of being human is that almost all of us, if not all of us, enjoy language.
We like to play with it.
Maybe it's that you like to rap or pun.
And then when you say something like, I can explain why kernel is spelled the way it is, people are really curious.
Hey, everyone, it's Adam Grant.
Welcome back to rethinking my podcast on the science of what makes us tick with the Ted audio collective.
I'm an organizational psychologist, and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating people to explore new thoughts and new ways of thinking.
My guest today is Ann Curzon, linguist and beloved english professor at the University of Michigan.
I think Bogle might have been one of the first signs that I should be a linguist.
I had a weird skill with boggle as a child.
She has a new book.
Says who?
A kinder funner usage guide for everyone who cares about words.
It's the most practical and entertaining resource I've encountered to using language.
Ann is my favorite word nerd.
I invited her on to answer burning questions with fun facts, address language pet peeves, and rethink many of the grammatical rules we all hated in middle school.
Hey, Anne.
Hi, Adam.
It's great to see you.