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"Blends" in Product Names.

Language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg addresses the lengths companies go to in order to come up with the right names for new products.

03:49
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Other segments from the episode on December 29, 1987

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, December 29, 1987: Interview with Robert Bly; Commentary on the Chantels; Interview with Ned Beatty; Commentary on naming products.
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26:47

American Poet Robert Bly.

Poet Robert Bly. In the 60s, his poems took on a political tone and he founded American Poets Against the War. When his volume, The Light Around The Body, won the National Book Award in 1972, he turned the prize money over to a draft resisters group. Since then, his poems have explored the bonds between men, particularly between fathers and sons. (Rebroadcast of June 29, 1987.)

Interview
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06:48

The Chantels, Girl-Group Pioneers.

Rock historian Ed Ward will review the rise and fall of the Chantels, the girl group from the 50s that paved the way for groups like the Shirelles and the Ronettes. (Rebroadcast of September 8, 1987.)

Commentary
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09:50

Ned Beatty on His Many Roles.

Character actor Ned Beatty. He spent 15 years in theater before making his film debut in "Deliverance." Since then, he's played everything from a sinister executive in "Network" to a clownish sheriff in the Burt Reynolds film "Stroker Ace." In all, Beatty has acted in 37 feature films, and 44 television movies or series. (Rebroadcast of October 26, 1987.)

Interview

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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08:38

Ironic, Informal And Expressive, 'New Rules Of Language' Evolve Online

With all our texting, tweeting and social media posting, billions of people are using typed words for the kind everyday communication that used to happen more often in conversation. A new book argues that we’ve created a unique new language to reproduce the shades of meaning that we used to convey verbally. Our linguist Geoff Nunberg reflects on the new rules of language that he calls chat-speak.

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52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

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