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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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'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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Ironic, Informal And Expressive, 'New Rules Of Language' Evolve Online
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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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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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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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'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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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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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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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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Opinion: Why The Term 'Deep State' Speaks To Conspiracy Theorists
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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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Opinion: U.S. And U.K. Remain United, Not Divided, By Their Common Language
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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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So Longhand: Has Cursive Reached The End Of The Line?
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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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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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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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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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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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After Years Of Restraint, A Linguist Says 'Yes!' To The Exclamation Point
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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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