What the way we pronounce Iran says about us. Odorous or malodorous? When smell words stink.
About this episode
This episode explores the differing pronunciations of 'Iran' and 'Iraq' and their political implications, along with a discussion on confusing smell-related words.
1174. This week, we look at why we pronounce "Iran" and "Iraq" differently and what those pronunciations reveal about our political beliefs. Then, we look at the "smelly" words that confuse people, including "odorous," which started out meaning "fragrant" but now mostly describes bad smells. The "Iran" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and author of the soon-to-be-released book " Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents." A version of it originally appeared in The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license . And you can find Valerie at valeriefridland.com . 🔗 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 . 🔗 Take our advertising survey . 🔗 Transcript available on QuickandDirtyTips.com . 🔗 Get Grammar Girl books . | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network…
People in this episode
Host: Mignon Fogarty
Guest: Valerie Fridland
Topics covered
- pronunciation
- political beliefs
- linguistics
- smell words
- language
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Nevada in Reno, The Conversation, QuickAndDirtyTips.com
Books & works: Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents
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