Linguist Geoff Numberg: the Language of Campaign 2016
Show #139 | Guest: Geoffrey Nunberg is an adjunct full professor at the School of Information at the University of California at Berkeley. His many books include the landmark Going Nucular, named one of the ten best nonfiction books of 2004 by Amazon.com and made best-of-the-year lists by the San Jose Mercury News, the Boston Globe, the Hartford Courant, and the Chicago Tribune. He\u2019s a recipient of the Linguistic Society of America\u2019s Language and the Public Interest Award. He also worked on the development of linguistic technologies for Xerox. | Show Summary: Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton is \u201cwacky\u201d. Clinton claims Trump is \u201cdangerously incoherent.\u201d In the political world, nearly every word is carefully honed to convey specific messages to a deliberately targeted audience. From the choice of vernacular to the number of syllables, the chosen language speaks volumes about America\u2019s culture and subcultures \u2013 and the people who want their vote.\nLinguist Geoff Nunberg joins Angie to unravel what this election\u2019s crop of words and phrases tells us about what we\u2019re hearing and what\u2019s behind it. And they\u2019ll look at the evolution of political language from elections past.