[This episode first aired Sept. 27, 2009.]OMG, text messaging! It's destroying the English language, corrupting
young minds, turning us into a nation of illiterates. It's probably
shrinking the ozone layer, too. Or is it? In his new book,
'Txting: The Gr8 Db8,' author David Crystal offers a different
perspective. The book's surprising message is one which linguists have
shared for years: Far from obliterating literacy, texting may actually
improve it. So put that in your message header and send it!The
French phrase 'au jus' means with sauce, which is why it drives some
diners to distraction when a menu lists beef with 'au jus sauce.' A
Wisconsin listener calls to say this phrase sets her teeth on edge. The
hosts order up an answer fresh from the 'Waiter, There's a Redundancy
in My Soup!' Department.In medical parlance, your big toe is
your 'hallux.' But what about the other four? Do they have anatomical
names as well? A San Diego man who hurt the toe next to his big toe is
tired of referring to his injured digit as 'the toe next to my big
toe,' and wants the proper medical term. How does 'porcellus domi' grab
you? Prehensily? Quiz Guy John Chaneski presents a
letter-shaving game called 'Curtailments.' In this game, Grant and
Martha leave everything on the floor.A caller from Stevens
Point, Wisconsin, was puzzled when she moved there and locals asked,
'What's your name from home?' meaning, 'What's your maiden name?' The
community has a strong Polish heritage, and she wonders if there's a
connection. It's a good hunch, and Martha explains why.Say you
have a particularly rambunctious child. Okay, a little hellion. Is it
proper to describe the little devil as a 'holy terror'? Or might it be
more correct and more logical to call him an 'unholy terror'? A Los
Angeles caller thinks it's the latter.If you've flown from
Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport recently, you may have
noticed an odd but official-looking sign that reads: 'RECOMBOBULATION
AREA.' A caller from Madison was discombobulated to see it, then
started wondering about the roots of such words. See if it does the
same for you here: http://tinyurl.com/4mc8dmThe real problem
with texting isn't how it affects language, but what it does to social
interaction. Is there anything more annoying when you're trying to have
a conversation than watching your companion's eyes flitting to his
phone when he sees that a text message just arrived? The hosts discuss
the need for a new text-messaging etiquette.Let's say that
you're getting 'diesel therapy' at 'o-dark-thirty.' What are you
getting and when are you getting it? A New Jersey contestant from the
National Puzzlers' League learns the meaning of these terms in this
week's slang quiz.What do you call a word made from a blend of
two other words, like 'motel' from 'motor' and 'hotel'? A listener says
his term for them is 'Reese's Peanut Butter Cup words,' after the old
commercial: 'You got chocolate in my peanut butter! You got peanut
butter in my chocolate!' But he wonders if there's another, more
established term. The hosts introduce him to the word 'portmanteau.'When
it comes to text messaging and its effect on English, the linguistic
apocalypse is not nigh. Quite the contrary, in fact. Grant talks about
some eye-opening research about text-messaging and teen literacy. That's all for this week. L8r!--Get your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Site: http://waywordradio.org.Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2009, Wayword LLC.