Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”
In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that …
Decoder Ring - Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”
In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that …
Phonology (LINGUISTICS) with Nicole Holliday — Encore Presentation
Alie is delirious with the flu, so it’s an encore presentation of a favorite episode. If you slept on this when it first aired, get into Phonology now. Vocal fry. Code switching. Black Twitter. Valley girls. Culture vultures. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TALKING. Alie battles traffic to sit down with lingui…
Phonology (LINGUISTICS) with Nicole Holliday
Vocal fry. Code switching. Black Twitter. Valley girls. Culture vultures. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TALKING. Alie battles traffic to sit down with linguistics professor Dr. Nicole Holliday about intonational phonology: how tones and pitch help us bond with others and construct identities. Inspired in par…
Should AI tell you how to talk?
With the development of automatic speech recognition has come a new type of technology, designed to give the user advice on how to speak better. In this episode, we talk with Nicole Holliday (University of California, Berkeley) about some of the issues that can arise with the use of these technolog…
Decoder Ring - Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”
In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that …
What is My Gen Z Friend Even Saying?
Racial disparities in kidney transplants have been a persistent problem, but a change to a key algorithm that measures kidney function is yielding important progress. Anil Oza, a reporter for Stat News, and LaVarne Burton, president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund, explain the science and what …
Mikel Arteta, Josh Kroenke & Richard Garlick: the exclusive inside view on title celebrations and UCL prep
We’re back with a landmark edition of The Dispatch, recorded from the boardroom at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, with the Premier League trophy proudly watching on.
Josh James is joined by Nicole Holliday for an exclusive conversation with manager Mikel Arteta, co-chair Josh Kroenke and CEO Ri…
Slow Burn - Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”
In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that …
Beware the 20x Engineer, 2026.05.11
"Sure, LLMs are bad at some things, but you can't deny that they're useful for programming!" Sound familiar? In this week's episode, Emily and Alex break down the key myths around AI-boosted productivity in tech. Plus, Alex previews her work with DAIR's newly launched Luddite Lab, where workers are…
PODCAST SEARCH ENGINE
You can use our website to search 3,831,882 podcasts and 196,875,917 episodes by people, places, or topics.
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest, so I listen to podcasts.
‐ Benjamin "Llamacorn" Franklin
EDIT
Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date.
