- 32 minutes 18 secondsHere's to You Mrs. Malaprop
What misspeaking might reveal about the way our mental dictionary is organized.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 319: "Here's to You Mrs. Malaprop." 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 November 2026, 9:54 pm - 32 minutes 48 secondsMufasa, Simba, Fercho and Dylan
One man's quest to dub Disney's "The Lion King" into the indigenous Quechuan language; an interview with filmmaker Augusto Zegarra, director of the documentary "Runa Simi."
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 318: "Mufasa, Simba, Fercho and Dylan." With Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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3 November 2026, 10:13 pm - 24 minutes 5 secondsHow to Kill a Language, Part II
In Part II of our interview with author Sophia Smith Galer, "shared language erosion" — when members of an immigrant family can no longer communicate fluently with each other — and the true cost of letting a language die.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 317: "How to Kill a Language, Part II." With Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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27 October 2026, 9:09 pm - 59 minutes 16 secondsHow to Kill a Language, Part I
From Ukraine to Maori to Emilian, a conversation with author Sophia Smith Galer about language suppression, revitalization and death.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 316: "How to Kill a Language, Part I." With Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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21 October 2026, 6:42 pm - 22 minutes 6 secondsBang for the Buck
An investigation into the nuclear origins of "bang for the buck." Plus, we get buck-naked!
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 315: "Bang for the Buck." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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14 October 2026, 4:45 pm - 28 minutes 44 secondsThe Language of Liars
An interview with science-fiction author S.L. Huang, whose experience learning languages informed their most recent novella, The Language of Liars.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 314: "The Language of Liars." With Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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6 October 2026, 8:55 pm - 17 minutes 2 secondsNo More Mr. Nice Guy
Was Perry Como the original Mr. Nice Guy? And who again was Perry Como? Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield explain.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 313: "No More Mr. Nice Guy." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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29 September 2026, 11:07 pm - 9 minutes 21 secondsNice Guys Finish Last
What does a cement mixer and a 1948 Cosmopolitan magazine article have to do with the phrase Nice Guys Finish Last? Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield explain.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 312: "Nice Guys Finish Last." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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22 September 2026, 9:02 pm - 6 minutes 57 secondsHappily Ever Arter
In a bonus segment for all listeners, John McWhorter talks about "arter," a word from Jim's dialect in Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 311: "Happily Ever Arter." With John McWhorter. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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15 September 2026, 10:22 pm - 18 minutes 27 secondsGrand Am
John McWhorter on the truth behind "am" in Black English.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 310: "Grand Am." With John McWhorter. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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8 September 2026, 8:27 pm - 22 minutes 7 secondsHaut Corn!
John McWhorter asks: What did Black New Yorkers sound like in the 1800s? Find out in this first of a two-part episode.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 309: "Haut Corn!" With John McWhorter. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved.
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1 September 2026, 9:29 pm - More Episodes? Get the App