Geoffrey Nunberg

Linguist Geoff Nunberg considers the phrase "under the bus," which has been used throughout the heated presidential primaries.

It's one of the most common words in English, and one of the most maligned. But it has been doing useful work for centuries, and lately it's acquired a new, hip meaning. Fresh Air linguist Geoff Nunberg gives us his thoughts on the little word, "um."

Analysts wondered if Barack Obama's speech on race in Philadelphia last month was the beginning of a "national conversation" on the subject. Meanwhile, Fresh Air's contributing linguist Geoff Nunberg is wondering what, exactly, a "national conversation" is — and when we started talking about them.

Fresh Air's contributing linguist remembers a rhetorician whose larger-than-life language helped shape a movement and a nation.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg offers up a few thoughts on the use of a certain C-word in current electoral rhetoric. That word is "change" and it's what all the candidates are promising. But what does it really mean?

Fresh Air's resident linguist considers how we use the words "civility" and "incivility."

Fresh Air's resident linguist has had some thoughts lately on the language of the recent string of debates among the various presidential hopefuls. On today's show, he talks to Terry Gross about the signifiers he sees encoded in political language. Geoff Nunberg's most recent book is Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show. His primary reaction to the debates?

Our contributing linguist has some thoughts on the use of sarcasm in American English.

An appeals court ruled recently that the FCC couldn't fine the Fox network for indecency for broadcasting a "fleeting expletive" during an awards show. What does the ruling mean — and what qualifies as a "fleeting expletive" these days, anyway?

Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, is designed to take advantage of "the wisdom of crowds," meaning anyone can edit (and re-edit) the entries. The open-source approach brings with it a unique set of strengths — and limitations.