Lexicon Valley

Digging Up the Past

Let’s talk about how we talk about that which already occurred.

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Episode Notes

William Faulkner famously observed: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” In language, you might say, it’s ever-present. But how we discuss that which occurred before this very moment can vary in nuance from Asia to Africa to the Americas. In other words, some languages have a complicated past.

Podcast production by Mike Vuolo.

About the Show

If you’ve ever had curious thoughts and questions about the ways we speak, read, and write, Lexicon Valley is the show for you. Hosted by linguist John McWhorter.

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