How the Crusades gave us 'lingua franca.' 'That' or 'who' for animals? Doot doot doot

About this episode

This episode explores the history of lingua francas and discusses the appropriate use of pronouns for animals and inanimate objects.

1184. This week, we look at the history of lingua francas, from the original mix of Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Turkish used during the Crusades to today's global English. Plus, we look at whether it's wrong to use "who" for animals, "that" instead of "who" for people, and "whose" for inanimate objects. The lingua franca segment was written by Alexandra Aikhenvald , a Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow at Jawun Research Institute, CQ University in Australia. It originally ran on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license . AI systems confusing dog faces with blueberry muffins . 🔗  Join the Grammar Girl Patreon. 🔗  Share your familect recording in   Speakpipe  or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) 🔗  Watch my   LinkedIn Learning writing courses . 🔗  Subscribe to the   newsletter . 🔗  Find an edited   transcript . 🔗  Get   Grammar Girl books . | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | Grammar Girl is part of  the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network . Audio Engineer:  Castria Communications Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings Advertising Operations Specialist…

People in this episode

Host: Mignon Fogarty

Topics covered

• lingua franca
• Crusades
• language usage
• animal pronouns
• inanimate objects
• AI confusion

Keywords

• lingua franca
• Crusades
• language
• pronouns
• AI
• communication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jawun Research Institute, CQ University, The Conversation, Quick and Dirty Tips, Castria Communications, Acast

More episodes of Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

• What it really takes to translate Shakespeare, with Daniel Hahn · June 11, 2026 · 35 min
• How to get started as a freelance writer · June 9, 2026 · 15 min
• The case for language clarity, with Iva Cheung · June 4, 2026 · 29 min
• Does Yoda speak 'real' English? Is it 'a real trouper' or 'a real trooper'? · June 2, 2026 · 13 min
• Everyone has a story to tell, and why your memoir matters, with Grant Faulkner · May 28, 2026 · 26 min
• How ‘bee’s knees’ became high praise, and why do recipes sound so bossy? · May 26, 2026 · 17 min