Geoff Nunberg Geoff Nunberg is the linguist contributor on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
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Geoff Nunberg

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Monday

Columbia Journalism Review set up a misinformation newsstand in Manhattan in October 2018, in an effort to educate news consumers about the dangers of disinformation in the lead-up to the U.S. midterm elections. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

'Disinformation' Is The Word Of The Year — And A Sign Of What's To Come

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Tuesday

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Ironic, Informal And Expressive, 'New Rules Of Language' Evolve Online

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Tuesday

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Opinion: Even A Grammar Geezer Like Me Can Get Used To Gender Neutral Pronouns

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Friday

Computers use algorithms to do everything from adding up a column of figures to resizing a window. iMrSquid/Getty Images hide caption

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iMrSquid/Getty Images

Algorithmic Intelligence Has Gotten So Smart, It's Easy To Forget It's Artificial

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Wednesday

Thanks to the presidential election, "socialism" and "capitalism" were Merriam-Webster's most-looked-up words of the year in 2012. Richard Drew/AP hide caption

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Richard Drew/AP

'Socialism' Isn't The Scare Word It Once Was

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Thursday

Opinion: Migrant Girl's Death Reveals A Need For More Interpreters Along The Border

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Wednesday

President Trump addresses the crowd during a rally in Houston in support of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Oct. 22,. During the rally, he described himself as a "nationalist," and encouraged his supporters to use the word. Loren Elliott/Getty Images hide caption

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Loren Elliott/Getty Images

Opinion: 'Nationalist' Arises, With Myriad Connotations, As The Word Of 2018

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Friday

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Opinion: A Linguist's Defense Of 'Falsehood'

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Thursday

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Opinion: Why The Term 'Deep State' Speaks To Conspiracy Theorists

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Tuesday

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Opinion: U.S. And U.K. Remain United, Not Divided, By Their Common Language

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Thursday

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So Longhand: Has Cursive Reached The End Of The Line?

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Wednesday

"However people map out the geography of American political tribes, they always exempt themselves and their neighbors," Geoff Nunberg says. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images

As Fissures Between Political Camps Grow, 'Tribalism' Emerges As The Word Of 2017

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Wednesday

An art exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco celebrates 50 years since the famed Summer of Love. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

50 Years After The Summer Of Love, Hippie Counterculture Is Relegated To Kitsch

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Tuesday

An 1894 engraving depicts chapter 18 of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images hide caption

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De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images

The Enduring Legacy Of Jane Austen's 'Truth Universally Acknowledged'

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Tuesday

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After Years Of Restraint, A Linguist Says 'Yes!' To The Exclamation Point

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Monday

Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that people often use spurious quotations to create a version of Abraham Lincoln that suit a political purpose. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Lincoln Said What? Bogus Quotations Take On A New Life On Social Media

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Thursday

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'Normal': The Word Of The Year (In A Year That Was Anything But)

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Tuesday

Linguist Geoff Nunberg argues that the media's decision to bleep or otherwise block out a particular word can result in concealing information the public needs to know. dane_mark/Getty Images hide caption

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dane_mark/Getty Images

Not Fit To Print? When Politicians Talk Dirty, Media Scramble To Sanitize

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Tuesday

The media have used a variety of epithets to describe white working-class Trump supporters. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says these terms embody the class contention that is central to this year's election. Dan Bannister/AWL Images RM/Getty Images hide caption

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Dan Bannister/AWL Images RM/Getty Images

A Resurgence Of 'Redneck' Pride, Marked By Race, Class And Trump

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Thursday

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a town hall meeting in Roanoke, Va. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Is Trump's Call For 'Law And Order' A Coded Racial Message?

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Tuesday

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Irked By The Way Millennials Speak? 'I Feel Like' It's Time To Loosen Up

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Wednesday

Is the English spelling system irrational? Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption

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Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Changes To French Spelling Make Us Wonder: Why Is English So Weird?

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Wednesday

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Everyone Uses Singular 'They,' Whether They Realize It Or Not

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Monday

Linguist Geoff Nunberg notes that while workers in today's "gig economy" may have more freedom than they had in years past, they also have less security. Hong Li/Getty Images hide caption

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Hong Li/Getty Images

Goodbye Jobs, Hello 'Gigs': How One Word Sums Up A New Economic Reality

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