Listen Up
Venture to a valley where you're never at a loss for words.
One morning in summer
I came upon a valley
With a school of horses
Sheep, larks, and ninety-nine apricot treesI won’t reveal the valley’s name
This is my promise to the gods
– “Valley” by Li Jianjun, translated by Wang Ping
Have you heard of Lexicon Valley? It’s a grave disappointment if you have not — the silver lining of which is that you are about to.
Fifteen years ago, my WNYC producer Mike Vuolo got the idea for a podcast about language: a conversational, fun exploration into words, grammar, idiom, etymology and language matters writ large.
Slate gave us a platform and we were up and running, examining linguistic subjects from translations of Anna Karenina with M. Gessen to disappearing languages to — memorably and controversially — vocal fry.
As it happens, I am familiar with quite a few words, because I need them for work, for ordering in restaurants and for antagonizing my children. This made for an interesting dynamic, because Mike is quite knowledgeable — as were the professional linguists we interviewed on the show — while I played dumb. You’ll be surprised to learn that that was not a big stretch for me. Often I was truly enlightened, like during our discussion with the late Geoffrey Nunberg about his book, Ascent of the A-Word: Assholism, the First Sixty Years. Here’s a clip:
We were sort of like the Car Guys, only the cars were gerunds, transitive verbs and portmanteaus. Who’da thunk? We won a Webby Award in our first year — it was a hit!
We did it for four years and moved on to other projects, whereupon our occasional guest, Columbia University Professor of Linguistics John McWhorter, became the full time host of Lexicon Valley for a decade. But now he also has a New York Times column, regular TV appearances and about seven new books per year. Which means his schedule has become onerous. So here strut Mike and I back to the mic, like a tribute band to ourselves.
In any case, here is our first return episode. It’s great. That is, it’s about the word great. Listen to it and be fascinated and delighted.
And here is our second episode. It’s about the word cringe, as in embarrassing, as in what Gen Alpha thinks of anyone over the age of 20. Listen to it and be fascinated and delighted.
Paid subscribers, whom we love and admire significantly more than free subscribers, unlock bonus shows for $5/month or $50/year. Money back guarantee. Or guaranty. What do I know?
Note: if you see scorpions, granola bars or road signs for Palo Alto, you’ve entered the wrong Valley.
Raises his hand from the back of the class, where he's been doodling on the cover of the textbook while staring at the bra strap of the blonde in the next row
"Lexicon Valley? Dude, I never heard of it."
But ... I'll give it a listen. As a huge fan of Geoff Nunberg (whe even has a copy of "Ascent of the A word") I was crushed when he passed away. His commentaries on NPR were always so thoughtful and eloquent ... they always made me feel like a better person after listening.
I'm not, of course, but such is the power of illusion.
One question, although the answer is probably obvious: as a paid subscriber here, do I have to shell out more for the Full Monty of the Lazarus-like revival of Lexicon Valley?
Inquiring minds want to know...
I was a big fan of the original Garfield/Vuolo Lexicon Valley. The first G/V return episode so completely matched the style and insouciance of the original (including the inexplicable and annoying theme music) that I thought for quite a while that it must be a rerun.