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Otherwords

Punctuation's Weird Backstory

Season 5 Episode 9 | 9m 19s

There was a time when written words were all scrunched together without any spaces or symbols to help the reader make sense of it. How did we get from that to this‽

Aired: 09/29/25
Extras
Watch • 10:11
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Why "a Lie" is Hard to Define
Figuring out what exactly counts as a lie is not as easy as it seems...
Episode: S6 E2 | 10:11
Watch • 7:58
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Why Linguists Love What's Happening with K-Pop
Linguists are tracking how K-Pop is shaping language around the world.
Episode: S6 E1 | 7:58
Watch • 9:13
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The Hidden Linguistic Messages in Brand Names
There are a lot of hidden & surprising messages behind brand names.
Episode: S5 E10 | 9:13
Watch • 7:03
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Popular Word Origins That Are Totally Wrong
What are folk etymologies?
Episode: S5 E8 | 7:03
Watch • 7:18
Otherwords
Is Social Media Censorship Unaliving Language?
Is TikTok ruining language?
Episode: S5 E7 | 7:18
Watch • 7:21
Otherwords
The Mysterious Origins of Abracadabra and Other Magic Words
Are there 'magic' words?
Episode: E6 | 7:21
Watch • 5:51
Otherwords
Where Did Cringey Corporate Jargon Come From?
We're gonna have to ask you to go ahead and watch this video. "
Episode: E5 | 5:51
Watch • 12:22
Otherwords
Inside the Fiercest Debate in Linguistics
It's one of the most contentious debates in linguistics!
Episode: E4 | 12:22
Watch • 7:05
Otherwords
Why A.I. Struggles with Negative Words
The ways we use negation in language can be pretty complex, even AI can’t seem to make sense of it.
Episode: E3 | 7:05
Watch • 8:36
Otherwords
The Ancient Origins of Body Words
Join us as we try to figure out how our body parts got their names.
Episode: E1 | 8:36
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Watch • 10:11
Otherwords
Why "a Lie" is Hard to Define
Figuring out what exactly counts as a lie is not as easy as it seems...
Episode: S6 E2 | 10:11
Watch • 7:58
Otherwords
Why Linguists Love What's Happening with K-Pop
Linguists are tracking how K-Pop is shaping language around the world.
Episode: S6 E1 | 7:58
Watch • 9:13
Otherwords
The Hidden Linguistic Messages in Brand Names
There are a lot of hidden & surprising messages behind brand names.
Episode: S5 E10 | 9:13
Watch • 7:03
Otherwords
Popular Word Origins That Are Totally Wrong
What are folk etymologies?
Episode: S5 E8 | 7:03
Watch • 7:18
Otherwords
Is Social Media Censorship Unaliving Language?
Is TikTok ruining language?
Episode: S5 E7 | 7:18
Watch • 7:21
Otherwords
The Mysterious Origins of Abracadabra and Other Magic Words
Are there 'magic' words?
Episode: E6 | 7:21
Watch • 5:51
Otherwords
Where Did Cringey Corporate Jargon Come From?
We're gonna have to ask you to go ahead and watch this video. "
Episode: E5 | 5:51
Watch • 12:22
Otherwords
Inside the Fiercest Debate in Linguistics
It's one of the most contentious debates in linguistics!
Episode: E4 | 12:22
Watch • 7:05
Otherwords
Why A.I. Struggles with Negative Words
The ways we use negation in language can be pretty complex, even AI can’t seem to make sense of it.
Episode: E3 | 7:05
Watch • 8:36
Otherwords
The Ancient Origins of Body Words
Join us as we try to figure out how our body parts got their names.
Episode: E1 | 8:36