Coming up on Word Matters, a visit with linguist, lexicographer, and podcast host, Ben Zimmer.
I'm Emily Brewster,
and Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.
On each episode, Merriam-Webster editors, Amon Shea, Peter Sakalowski,
and I explore some aspect of the English language from the dictionary's vantage point.
Ben Zimmer's extensive research into current and historical uses of words has led to all kinds of discoveries.
We're going to begin our conversation with one such discovery that had surprising real-world consequences.
Listen up.
It's hella fun.
We have a special guest today, our friend Ben Zimmer.
Ben is a linguist and a lexicographer.
He's the language columnist for The Wall Street Journal,
as well as a contributing writer for The Atlantic and co-host of The Slate Podcast.
spectacular vernacular.
Thank you, Ben, for being here.
Oh, thanks for having me.
This is a real pleasure.
We're really happy to have you.
Been trying to make it happen for a while now.
And it's good to hear your voice, Ben.