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The Familiar Strange is a podcast about doing anthropology: that is, about listening, looking, trying out, and being with, in pursuit of uncommon knowledge about humans and culture. Find show notes, plus our blog about anthropology's role in the world, at https://www.thefamiliarstrange.com. Twitter: @tfsTweets. FB: facebook.com/thefamiliarstrange. Instagram: @thefamiliarstrange. Brought to you by your familiar strangers: Ian Pollock, Jodie-Lee Trembath, Julia Brown, Simon Theobald, Kylie Won ...
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Produced by Stefanie Levine.
Light-hearted conversation with callers from all over about new words, old sayings, slang, family expressions, language change and varieties, as well as word histories, linguistics, regional dialects, word games, grammar, books, literature, writing, and more. You can join author/journalist Martha Barnette and linguist/lexicographer Grant Barrett on the show with your language thoughts, questions, and stories: https://waywordradio.org/contact or words@waywordradio.org. In the US 🇺🇸 and Canada ...
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The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Loyal Books
A young gambler is found shot dead in a closed room. Dr. Watson, who still mourns the disappearance of his famous friend is intrigued enough to step out of his house and take a look at the crime scene. A crowd has gathered there, curiously gazing up at the room where the crime is supposed to have taken place. Watson inadvertently jostles against an elderly, deformed man and knocks a stack of books from the fellow's hand. The man curses Watson vilely and disappears into the throng. It suddenl ...
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Barbara Kingsolver's book Demon Copperhead is a retelling of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield set in today's Appalachia. Martha shares memories of a long-ago visit to Kingsolver's family farm in Virginia, where they discussed many of the same issues covered in this Pulitzer-winning novel. Plus, the Carp River in Michigan had that name long before…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Mimeographs and Dittos (Rebroadcast) - 15 May 2023
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How colors got their names, and a strange way to write. The terms "blue" and "orange" arrived in English via French, so why didn't we also adapt the French for black and white? Plus, not every example of writing goes in one direction across the page. In antiquity, people sometimes wrote right to left, then left to right, then back again -- the same…
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What do you call a long sandwich filled with lots of ingredients? Whether you call it a sub, a hoagie, a grinder, or something else entirely depends on where you're from. And: Martha's visit to an Alaskan reindeer ranch reveals why you really do hear click, click, click when reindeer walk, and how these elegant animals got their name. Plus, if it's…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Truth and Beauty (Rebroadcast) - 1 May 2023
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Vocabulary that trickles down from the top of the world. Malamute, kayak, and parka are just some of the words that have found their way into English from the language of indigenous people in northern climes. Also, the surprising language of physicists: in the 1970s, some scientists argued that two quarks should be called "truth" and "beauty." Fina…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Dessert Stomach (Rebroadcast) - 24 April 2023
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Funny cat videos and cute online photos inspire equally adorable slang terms we use to talk about them. When a cat leaves its tongue out, that's a blep. A boop is a gentle tap on its nose. Also, when is a salamander not a salamander? The name of this animal once referred to a mythical beast that was impervious to fire. Now it also refers to heating…
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Is there such a thing as a "neutral" accent, and if so what does it sound like? And that quirk in the way Southern Californians talk about freeways. They'll say things like Take the 405 North and Get on the 8 and head east. But why the definite article? Plus, those Little Free Libraries stocked with books have inspired another kind of giving: littl…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Cool Your Soup (Rebroadcast) - 10 April 2023
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According to Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, it's important to master the basics of writing, but there comes a time when you have to strike out on your own and teach yourself. Also, some Spanish idioms involving food: What does it mean to flip the tortilla or to eat turkey at a dance? Plus, a conversation about the difference between compassion and …
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep#104 We let ChatGPT write this title: ""ChatGPT: The Future of AI-Assisted Conversations"
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It’s been a while…We’re back, this time with Familiar Strange Emma leading a panel on AI and specifically Chat GPT. This week, Emma is joined by Familiar Strangers Matt and Sean to discuss some of the advancements of ChatGPT and what it means for us as academics and human creativity. Matt dives into how his poetry has been informed by AI and Sean r…
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It’s cats and dogs, and a few other critters, too. Animals prowl around inside several English words, including sleuth, which was originally sleuth-hound, a synonym for bloodhound. Plus, the language we use with our pets and the ways they communicate with us. Boop a snoot, anyone? And NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz stops by to add to the menagerie wi…
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A magnificent new book celebrates the richness and diversity of 450 years of written and spoken English in what is now the United States. It’s called The People’s Tongue, and it’s a sumptuous collection of essays, letters, poems, lyrics, and much more, from colonial times to the present. Plus, the story behind the phrase what are the odds? And spea…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Put on the Dog (Rebroadcast) - 27 March 2023
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Why isn’t “you’re welcome” the default response to “thank you” for everyone? Plus lies that kids tell, Philadelphia lawyer, cowbelly, skutch, mind-bottling vs. mind-boggling, tsundoku, infanticipating, noisy piece of cheese, a word game, and lots more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Excuse the Hogs (Rebroadcast) - 20 March 2023
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When a teenager went a week without talking as part of a school project, he noticed a surprising side effect: Instead of rehearsing a response to what other people were saying to him, he was focused on listening — and feeling smarter as a result. Plus, a flight attendant is irritated by a certain term she has to use frequently with passengers. Migh…
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How do you transform ancient Chinese script for use in the modern age? English uses a keyboard with just 26 letters, but the first Chinese typewriter looked like a small table under a huge disk with more than 4,000 characters. A new book chronicles the innovators who adapted the Chinese writing for use with modern technology. Plus, in poker, why is…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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All That and a Bag of Chips (Rebroadcast) - 6 March 2023
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We tend to take the index of a book for granted, but centuries ago, these helpful lists were viewed with suspicion. Some even worried that indexes would harm reading comprehension! A witty new book tells the story. Plus, the Latin term bona fides was adopted into English to mean “good faith” or “authentic credentials.” But there’s more than one way…
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep#103 Handwraps & Hijabs: Dr Jasmijn Rana on Kickboxing & Piety in the Netherlands
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Welcome back to the Familiar Strange. We’re kicking off 2023 with an interview with Dr Jasmijn Rana from Leiden University. Dr Jasmijn’s research interests include, gender, race-ethnicity, religion, embodiment and movement. Jasmijn is currently (2022-2023) a Marie-Sklodowska Curie Global Fellow at University of California, Berkeley.This week, Famil…
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If you’re ever near a sundial, step closer and look for a message. Many sundials bear haunting, poetic inscriptions about the brevity of life. Plus, language development in toddlers: why and how little ones pick up the exclamation Uh-oh! And a new Japanese term for making the most of your time in the modern age: The Japanese word taipa comes from E…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Familiar Strangers (Rebroadcast) - 20 February 2023
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If you take up texting and social media late in life, there’s a lot to learn! A twenty-something wants advice getting her dad up to speed on memes, Instagram, and animated images. Plus, when you’re on a long road trip, what do you call that one driver you keep passing on the freeway, or who sets the pace for your car mile after mile? Road buddy? So…
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep #102: Gender in the Mines & Anthro Origin Stories: This Month on TFS
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We are back for 2023! This month we welcome our newest Familiar Stranger Nitya! Nitya has just finished their Master of Anthropology and is current doing some further work into Gender and mining. In this episode we deep dive into Nitya's topic and the stereotypes of mining, and dig into the current gender perceptions of the mining industry. In a be…
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Gossip goes by many names: the poop, the scoop, the lowdown, the dope, the scuttlebutt, the 411, the grapes, the gore, and hot tea. Plus, John Donne’s love poems are among the greatest in the English language, even as they’re famously difficult to unravel. A new biography hails the genius of the man who penned the phrases no man is an island and fo…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Word Hoard (Rebroadcast) - 6 February 2023
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Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant "treasure" and your wordhord was the treasure of words locked up inside you. A delightful new book uses the language of that period to create a vivid look at everyday life. Plus, a shotgun house is long and narrow with no hallway — just one room leading i…
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Novelist Charles Dickens and the musician Prince were very different types of artists, but they also had a lot in common. A new book chronicling their extraordinary careers becomes a larger meditation on perfectionism and creativity itself. Plus, the military origins of the term ballpark estimate. And when two people say the same thing simultaneous…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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You Talk Like a Sausage (Rebroadcast) - 23 January 2023
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Do you refer to your dog or cat as “somebody”? As in: When you love somebody that much, you don’t mind if they slobber. In other words, is your pet a somebody or a something? Also, for centuries, there was little consistency in the way many English words were spelled. But long before the printing press helped to standardize spelling, powerful histo…
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In just seconds, online text generators and chatbots can produce whole paragraphs of sophisticated prose. But what do advances in artificial intelligence mean for writers? What is lost and what’s gained when machine-writing replaces the work humans have always struggled to produce? Plus, the story behind the phrase the old college try. It goes back…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Pushing the Envelope (Rebroadcast) - 9 January 2023
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Sure, there’s winter, spring, summer, and fall. But the seasons in between have even more poetic names. In Alaska, greenup describes a sudden, dramatic burst of green after a long, dark winter. And there are many, many terms for a cold snap that follows the first taste of spring: blackberry winter, redbud winter, onion snow, and whippoorwill storm,…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Primary Colors (Rebroadcast) - 2 January 2023
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Centuries ago, monks who took a vow of silence developed their own hand signs, with hundreds of gestures, that are still in use today. Plus, how do speakers of different languages distinguish similar shades and tints of colors such as red, yellow, and blue? It's complicated! And: you don't really need those little rivets on your blue jeans, do you?…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Deep-Fried Air (Rebroadcast) - 26 December 2022
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Eels, orts, and Wordle! Sweden awarded its most prestigious literary award to a book about…eels. The Book of Eels reveals the mysterious life cycle of this sea creature and its significance for famous figures from Aristotle to Sigmund Freud. Plus, what’s an ort? It’s the last bit of food left on a dinner plate — and whether or not you finish it can…
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Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say that someone who’s fortunate has the luck of the Irish? And the latest edition of the Official Scrabb…
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep #101: When Anthropology Strikes Back: Strikes & Casualisation in Academia
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This week we’re back for a really important panel. This week, Familiar Strangers Lachlan, Sean, Kath and Claire gather to discuss casualisation of academic jobs and the effects that strikes can have on workers rights. Some of the strangers are currently participating in a unfair labour practices strike along with other members of the United Auto Wo…
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A savory Sicilian sausage roll is always a hit for the holidays. This dish goes by a long list of names that are equally delicious to say. Plus, why are those promotional quotes you see on the back of a book called blurbs? The guy who coined the word also wrote that familiar poem about being a purple cow. And, book recommendations: a sweet story ab…
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep #100 The laws of Robotics & Anti-Trust Frank Pasquale on AI Law & Multidisciplinary Interactions
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Familiar Stranger Emma sits down with Frank Pasquale from Brooklyn Law School. Frank is also currently co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Research in Computational Law! Frank is one of the leaders in relation to AI Law and cross-disciplinary approaches, with his works of The Black Box Society The Secret Algorithms That Control …
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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East Overshoe (Rebroadcast) - 5 December 2022
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Some people work hard to lose their accent in order to fit in. Others may be homesick for the voices they grew up with and try to reclaim them. How can you regain your old accent? Also, a compelling book about scientific taxonomy shows how humans use language to try to divide up and impose order on the word. And Uff-dah!is an expressive word that m…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Snookums and Snicklefritz - 28 November 2022
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A new book about how animals perceive their environment reveals immense worlds beyond our own. A bee can see ultraviolet light, catfish have taste buds all over their bodies, and manatees use highly sensitive lips to examine nearby objects. Also, what’s the relationship between romantic novels and Romance languages? Plus, sometimes buying gingerbre…
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep #99 The Conference Extravaganza: AAS &AAA: This month on TFS
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This week we’re back with a conference extravaganza! With the AAS and AAA’s just passed, listen in to Familiar stranger Alex, Lachie, Sean and Ruonan’s thoughts! Alex and Ruonan attended the AAS while Lachie and Sean attended the AAA in person and virtually. The strangers dive into their past conference experiences, and ask the big questions like “…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Herd of Turtles (Rebroadcast) - 21 November 2022
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Some college students are using the word loyalty as a synonym for monogamy. Are the meanings of these words now shifting? Plus, a biologist discovers a new species of bat, then names it after a poet he admires. Also, warm memories of how a childhood library card becomes a passport to new worlds. And: for a spell vs. cast a spell, thaw vs. unthaw, t…
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While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be in the dictionary and why — including words that might offend Victorian sensibilities. Also why are so…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Mittens in Moonlight (Rebroadcast) - 7 November 2022
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Need a slang term that can replace just about any noun? Try chumpie. If you're from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word. And there's Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and … The Bronx — why do we add the definite article to the name of that New York borough? The answer lies in the area's geography and local famil…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Diamond Dust (Rebroadcast) - 31 October 2022
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Diamond dust, tapioca snow, and sugar icebergs — a 1955 glossary of arctic and subarctic terms describes the environment in ways that sound poetic. And a mom says her son is dating someone who's non-binary. She supports their relationship, but still struggles to use their preferred pronouns in a way that feels natural to her. Plus, A Way with Words…
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep#98 Human Centered Design & “Futurising” Insights: Dr Vaike Fors on Emergent Mobility Technologies
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This week, Familiar Stranger Emma conducts her first interview! Emma sat down with Dr Vaike Fors from Halmstad University. Dr Vaike Fors is a professor in design ethnography, focusing on learning in everyday life. In the past, Vaike has worked with Volvo as part of a number of projects in relation to user experiences with autonomous vehicles and mo…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Sleepy Winks (Rebroadcast) - 24 October 2022
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It was a dark and stormy night. So begins the long and increasingly convoluted prose of Edwards Bulwer-Lytton’s best-known novel. Today the annual Bulwer-Lytton Contest asks contestants for fanciful first sentences that are similarly convoluted and over-the-top — often with hilarious results. Plus: George Orwell’s prescient novel 1984 gave us the t…
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High school students in Alabama share some favorite slang terms. If someone tells you to touch grass, they’re telling you to get a reality check — but the last thing you’d actually want to touch is dog water! Also, the history of the word hangover, and the many names, in several languages, for the effects of drinking too much alcohol. Plus, Do you …
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep #97: AI Art & Activist Anthropology Revisited: This Month on TFS
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This week we’re joined by Familiar Strangers Kathy, Lachlan, Alex and Sean to talk all things AI Art and activism.Alex kick’s us off by asking us to consider the recent developments in AI image creation. Alex dives into DALL.E and what it means for people that still consider themselves “artists”. The Strangers explore labour, effort and the “creati…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Made from Scratch (Rebroadcast) - 10 October 2022
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Enthusiastic book recommendations! Martha's savoring the biography of Alexander von Humboldt, the 19th-century explorer, polymath, and naturalist who revolutionized our understanding of nature and predicted the effects of human activity on climate. Grant's enjoying A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, about how the study of DNA is rewriting …
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The Familiar Strange
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Theory as reproduction: Reflections on the history of feminist anthropology in Australia Part 3
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We’re back this week and with a very special collaboration. As part of AAS2019, we had a chance to record an enlightening roundtable on the history of feminist anthropology in Australia. You can find parts 1 and 2 here! The wonderful Dr Benjamin Hegarty, Dr Carly Schuster and Dr Shiori Shakuto are back for part 3 of their roundtable where they dive…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Salad Days (Rebroadcast) - 3 October 2022
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A documentary film called My Beautiful Stutter follows youngsters at a summer camp specifically for stutterers. It's a place for finding acceptance, support, and confidence for navigating the larger world. And:, "The High Priestess of Soul," Nina Simone, was one of the most beguiling performers of all time. A beautiful new picture book for children…
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There are word nerds, and then there’s the woman who set up a folding chair on sidewalks throughout the country, cheerfully dispensing tips about grammar. She recounts her adventures in a new book. And the story of the brilliant pioneer of computing language whose name lives on in a familiar term. Plus, when you get a new haircut, beware of anyone …
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Your Imaginary Boyfriend (Rebroadcast) - 19 September 2022
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We use the term Milky Way for that glowing arc across the sky. But how people picture it varies from culture to culture. In Sweden, that starry band goes by a name that means "Winter Street," and in Hawaii, a term for the Milky Way translates as "fish jumping in shadows." And: the history of naming rooms in a house. Some old houses have a room off …
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The Familiar Strange
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Ep #96 Earthquake Temporalities & Energy Sovereignty: This Month on TFS
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This month we’re joined by the latest member of The Familiar Strange, Lachlan Summers! Lachlan is currently based in Mexico city and researches the 2017 Earthquake. As part of this panel, we dive a bit deeper into Lachlan’s research and how he has investigated the temporalities and culture changes in Mexico city. We also touch on concepts of sovere…
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A caller wonders if she’s being hypersensitive about the way her boss addresses her in emails. Can the use of an employee’s first name ever reflect a power differential? And: a community choir director wants a term for “the act of gathering to sing for the pure joy of it, without ever preparing for a performance.” For her, the word rehearsal doesn’…
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A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
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Beefed It (Rebroadcast) - 5 September 2022
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The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don't they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes a decision to do something, only to discover later that no one really wanted to do that thing in the first …
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Language is always evolving, and that’s also true for American Sign Language. A century ago, the sign for “telephone” was one fist below your mouth and the other at your ear, as if you’re holding an old-fashioned candlestick phone. Now you can sign “phone” with a one-handed gesture. Plus, colorful restaurant slang from the hit TV show The Bear insp…
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