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Here\u2019s a completely normal and unremarkable sentence. Let\u2019s imagine we have two different coloured pens, and we\u2019re going to circle the words in red and the affixes, that\u2019s prefixes and suffixes, in blue. \n\n \u201cLater today, I\u2019ll know if I hafta get some prizes for Helen of Troy\u2019s competition, or if it isn\u2019t necessary.\u201d\n\nSome of these are pretty straightforward. \u201cSome\u201d? Word. The -s on \u201cprizes\u201d? Affix. But some of them, \u201cI\u2019ll\u201d, \u201chafta\u201d, \u201cHelen of Troy\u2019s\u201d, \u201cisn\u2019t\u201d....hmmm. \n\nIn this episode, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch get enthusiastic about a small bit of language that\u2019s sort of a halfway point between a standalone word and a fully glommed-on affix: the clitic! We talk about why sentences like \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of linguist I\u2019m\u201d feel so strange and how on the one hand clitics are a sign of increased efficiency in terms of saying more common words more quickly, but on the other hand they kind of add complication because there are some contexts where the full forms of the words would be fine and yet the clitic doesn\u2019t work, giving you one more thing to keep track of. We also talk about clitics and reduced forms of words in Yolmo, Old English, and Dutch, and how clitic pronouns might be evolving into affixes in French and Spanish. \n\nAnnouncements:\nWe\u2019re excited to announce a special offer that we\u2019re running on Patreon that brings you fun things in the mail! Join the Ling-phabet tier or higher by November 3, 2021 (anywhere on earth) and get a sticker pack of FOUR stickers:\n\n- Two round \u201cSchwa never stressed\u201d stickers (one floral, one geometric)\n- One classic square Lingthusiasm logo sticker\n- One BECAUSE INTERNET bookplate sticker signed by Gretchen, for you to stick inside your copy or anywhere else you like\n\nPlus, if we reach a total of 1400 patrons at any level before November 3, then the sticker pack will also include:\n\n- Two mini Lingthusiasm green cutout stickers, one of which is called \u201cbouba\u201d and the other \u201ckiki\u201d \u2014 which is which? That\u2019s an experiment you get to run on your friends when you stick them on your phone case, water bottle, laptop, etc.\n\nThis special offer is part of the Ling-phabet tier, which also has the ordinary perk of letting patrons sponsor an IPA symbol or other special character and be recognized on the Lingthusiasm website on our \u201cSupporter Wall of Fame\u201d page. You can get your symbol through our ~*~super scientific~*~ Which IPA Character Are You Quiz, or just tell us what your favourite character or other Unicode symbol is. Then you get an image with your name and favourite symbol on it (see samples here!) recognizing you as a supporter, which you can share on social media/print off and use as a bookmark/gaze at in warm satisfaction/etc. Plus, after 3 months at this tier, you get its regular \u201cLingthusiast\u201d sticker in the mail, so that could be a total of 5 (or 7) stickers and 2 joyous mail occasions for you! www.patreon.com/lingthusiasm\n\nIn this month\u2019s bonus episode, we talk with Emily Gref, a linguist who\u2019s been working at a new language museum called Planet Word since 2018, first on creating content for the museum and, now that it\u2019s open, on analyzing how visitors interact with the exhibits. We talk about what\u2019s in Planet Word (including a library room with secret passage!), Emily\u2019s career journey from academia to publishing to the museum world, and Emily\u2019s passionate defence of pigeons. \n\nJoin us on Patreon to listen to this and 53 other bonus episodes. You\u2019ll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can discuss your favourite linguistically interesting fiction with other language nerds!\n\nFor links to things mentioned in this episode: https://lingthusiasm.com/post/662535562508517376/lingthusiasm-episode-60-thats-the-kind-of