Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

Lexicon Valley

A podcast about language, with host John McWhorter.

  • 31 minutes 31 seconds
    The Sound of a Car Backshifting

    John McWhorter on language change — from the meaning of wit to the pronunciation of automobile. Plus, a defense of redundancy!

    Visit ⁠⁠Lexicon Valley⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 294: "The Sound of a Car Backshifting." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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    24 March 2026, 7:46 pm
  • 25 minutes 43 seconds
    How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?

    ⁠⁠Getting new words into the dictionary is a rigorous, time consuming process — with no guarantee of success.

    Visit Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 293: "How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?" With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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    10 March 2026, 6:18 pm
  • 30 minutes
    Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary.

    "Unabridged" author Stefan Fatsis on the fastidious practice of lexicography and the heiress who amassed the largest collection of dictionaries in history.

    ⁠⁠Visit Lexicon Valley⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 292: "Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary." With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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    3 March 2026, 9:09 pm
  • 23 minutes 47 seconds
    Open Season for Racists

    Like 'analog watch' and 'snail mail,' 'openly racist' is a retronym — John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo explain.


    ⁠Visit Lexicon Valley⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 291: "Open Season for Racists." With John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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    24 February 2026, 11:14 pm
  • 25 minutes 15 seconds
    Playing the Angles

    What does St. John the Apostle have in common with Bernie Bernbaum, the sniveling grifter from Miller's Crossing? Angling!


    Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 290: "Playing the Angles." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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    10 February 2026, 4:48 pm
  • 13 minutes 15 seconds
    You Get the Gist

    During an appearance on The Gist with Mike Pesca, we discussed the curious backstory of, you guessed it, the word "gist."


    Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 289: "You Get the Gist." With Bob Garfield, Mike Pesca, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. Special thanks to Michelle Hunter Pesca. All rights reserved.

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    3 February 2026, 7:05 pm
  • 19 minutes 53 seconds
    Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing

    A prolific writer on men's fashion, Guy discusses the vocabulary of outerwear and why dress is a form of social language.


    ⁠Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 288: "Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing." With Derek Guy and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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    20 January 2026, 6:34 pm
  • 30 minutes 12 seconds
    McWhorter vs. McWhorter

    The world was shocked by a controversial article published by "John McWhorter." Here, he sets the record straight.


    Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 287: "McWhorter vs. McWhorter." With John McWhorter. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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    6 January 2026, 4:57 pm
  • 30 minutes 8 seconds
    A Toast to Toast

    Raise a glass to browned bread ... now you're toast!


    Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 286: "A Toast to Toast." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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    30 December 2025, 8:13 pm
  • 16 minutes 58 seconds
    All the Rage Bait

    Oxford English Dictionary editor Fiona McPherson talks to Mike Vuolo about the terms that caught her attention in 2025.


    Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 285: "All the Rage Bait." With Fiona McPherson and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.

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    23 December 2025, 8:40 pm
  • 26 minutes 40 seconds
    The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

    Author John Koenig talks about inventing words for those subtle emotions that hitherto had no name.


    Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 284: "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows." With Bob Garfield, John Koenig, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.

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    9 December 2025, 10:30 pm
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