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Friends with Words
Adventures in Languageland
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Check link for latest rating. ( 410 ratings, 90 reviews)
Brief Description
With warmth and humour, a popular radio and podcast host shares her love of language, weaving together linguistic history, regional phrases, the hidden poetry in etymologies, new words, and stories from her life and time on the air, now in paperback. Martha Barnette has spent two...
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Friends with Words
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Description
With warmth and humour, a popular radio and podcast host shares her love of language, weaving together linguistic history, regional phrases, the hidden poetry in etymologies, new words, and stories from her life and time on the air, now in paperback.
Martha Barnette has spent two decades as the cohost of A Way with Words, lauded by Mary Norris in The New Yorker as βa virtual treasure houseβ and ββCar Talkβ for Lexiphiles.β Over that time, sheβs developed a keen sense of what fascinates people about language. They are curious about etymology and revel in slang, are surprised by regional vocabulary and celebrate linguistic diversity. Idioms both puzzle and delight word lovers, and they are eager to share family neologisms and that weird phrase Grandma always used to say.
In Friends with Words, Barnette weaves together all these strands in a clear, informative, highly entertaining exploration of language. Chock-full of anecdotes, humorous asides, new words, trivia, and other lexicological delights, Friends with Words also tells Barnetteβs storyβfrom her Appalachian roots through her study of Ancient Greek, and on to the making of a beloved and enduring show. Friends with Words is an expert, good-humoured, joyful book.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781419778858
Publisher: Abrams
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 17 September 2026
Country: United States
Imprint: Abrams Press
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 27.0mm
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 210.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 320
About the Author
Martha Barnette is a longtime journalist, dynamic public speaker, and co-host of the popular radio show and podcast A Way with Words. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from Vassar College, did graduate work in classical languages at the University of Kentucky, and studied Spanish in Costa Rica. Barnette is the author of A Garden of Words, Ladyfingers & Nunβs Tummies, and Dog Days & Dandelions. She lives in San Diego, California.
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Friends with Words
With warmth, a popular radio and podcast host shares her love of language, weaving together linguistic history, regional phrases, the hidden poetry in etymologies, new words, and stories from her life and time on the air. Martha Barnette has spent two decades as the co-host of A Way with Words, lauded by Mary Norris in The New Yorker as βa...Hardback$4999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
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