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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

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Foreign nations have been systematically spreading falsehoods on social media for years; in 2019, it seemed like the world began to fully grasp the ramifications of disinformation campaigns.

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

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Tuesday

Ironic, Informal And Expressive, 'New Rules Of Language' Evolve Online
Dimitri Otis/Getty Images

Review

Book Reviews

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

Fresh Air

A lively new book by Gretchen McCulloch dissects the common vernacular that forms the cornerstone of online communication. Because Internet parses emojis, lols and punctuation — or lack thereof.

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

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Tuesday

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

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

Fresh Air

For anyone struggling to use "they" as a singular pronoun, linguist Geoff Nunberg says: Just practice. He believes human language processing capacity is far more adaptable than people realize.

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

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Friday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Artificial intelligence becomes hard to ignore when it starts taking over tasks that used to require human judgment — such as winnowing job applications or prioritizing stories in a news feed.

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

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Wednesday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

It isn't yet clear where "socialist" will settle in the vocabulary of the American left, as it jostles with labels like "liberal" and "progressive." But it's not the S-word anymore.

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

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Thursday

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Seven-year-old Jakelin Caal died in U.S. custody in December. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says her death might have been prevented had border agents spoken the Mayan language Q'eqchi'.

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

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Wednesday

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

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

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

Fresh Air

President Trump created a firestorm when he described himself as a "proud" nationalist at a recent rally. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the word carries a specter of racism and belligerence.

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

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Friday

Opinion: A Linguist's Defense Of 'Falsehood'
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Opinion

Opinion: A Linguist's Defense Of 'Falsehood'

Fresh Air

Geoff Nunberg says that "falsehood" isn't just a decorous synonym for "lie." Instead, it has a moral weight of its own — especially when it comes to the effects of what someone says.

Opinion: A Linguist's Defense Of 'Falsehood'

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Thursday

Opinion: Why The Term 'Deep State' Speaks To Conspiracy Theorists
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Linguist Geoff Nunberg says it's common for citizens of democracies to express concerns about the government. But the term "deep state" refers to something more nefarious — and conspiratorial.

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

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Tuesday

Opinion: U.S. And U.K. Remain United, Not Divided, By Their Common Language
Christophe Lehenaff/Getty Images/Photononstop RF

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Linguist Geoff Nunberg says none of the differences between American and British English would be interesting if the nations didn't share a core vocabulary grown from a common literary tradition.

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

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Thursday

So Longhand: Has Cursive Reached The End Of The Line?
CSA Images/Mod Art Collection/Getty Images

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Linguist Geoff Nunberg believes there's value in writing by hand — but he doesn't see why the letters have to connect. "You may as well dictate what song we all have to sing in the shower," he says.

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

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Wednesday

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

"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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

"The meme of the moment is to say that American politics has become 'tribal,'" linguist Geoff Nunberg says. One sign of the division is the fact that no one can agree on how to use the word.

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

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Wednesday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Looking back on the vanished styles and language of the hippie movement, linguist Geoff Nunberg says, "The most persistent single pejorative term to come out of the era is 'hippie' itself."

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

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Tuesday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Linguist Geoff Nunberg describes the opening sentence to Pride and Prejudice as a "masterpiece of indirection" that is frequently repurposed, but whose irony is never matched.

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

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Tuesday

After Years Of Restraint, A Linguist Says 'Yes!' To The Exclamation Point
adekvat/Getty Images/iStock

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

F. Scott Fitzgerald once declared that using an exclamation point was like laughing at your own joke, but linguist Geoff Nunberg begs to differ. He has begun embracing the mark in his own writing.

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

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Monday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Many of those quotes we see on Facebook or Instagram are attributed to authors who never said them. Does it matter when we get a quotation wrong? Linguist Geoff Nunberg says, not always.

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

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Thursday

'Normal': The Word Of The Year (In A Year That Was Anything But)
Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that the fact that people are talking a lot about "the new normal" is a sign that we're living in strange and unsettling times.

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

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Tuesday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Donald Trump isn't the first politician to use coarse language, but linguist Geoff Nunberg says the 2005 Access Hollywood tape of him discussing women's genitalia wasn't like other live-mic incidents.

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

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Tuesday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

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.

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

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Thursday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Donald Trump's promise to be the "law-and-order" candidate revived a slogan often associated with Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign. Linguist Geoff Nunberg discusses the term's racial underpinings

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

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Tuesday

Irked By The Way Millennials Speak? 'I Feel Like' It's Time To Loosen Up
Roy Scott/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

While some of his colleagues have criticized the current trend of starting sentences with the phrase, "I feel like," linguist Geoff Nunberg says it's just a case of generational misunderstanding.

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

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Wednesday

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

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

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Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

As the French debate spelling changes to their language, linguist Geoff Nunberg suggests that Americans take a closer look at some of the quirks of English.

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

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Wednesday

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

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

Fresh Air

The singular, gender-neutral usage of "they" is now acceptable on college campuses, among the genderqueer and in the Washington Post. Linguist Geoff Nunberg traces the rise of the new "they."

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

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Monday

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

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

Opinion

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

Fresh Air

Once used by '50s hipsters to connote a no-strings-attached job, "gig" has been co-opted by venture capitalists hyping the new economic order. Linguist Geoff Nunberg reflects on the word's resurgence.

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

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