My guest today will be very familiar to my Princeton audience. Pam Hersh is Jersey through and through and has been a part of the fabric of this town for over 50 years. She probably is best known for her writing, both for the Princeton Packet and now for TAPinto Princeton. Her column, Loose Ends, is essential reading for anyone wanting to feel truly connected to this town!

But of course, there is much more to Pam than what we’ve grown to appreciate through her writing or her penchant for walking everywhere, i.e., that she is colorful both in her writing and in her personal style.

Pam shared that she wasn’t a natural born writer in the Hemingway sense, but rather as a story teller who can take her readers from point A to point B, while keeping them intrigued along the way.

Luckily, she survived a potentially debilitating hand injury (learning to type with her left hand during recovery) and, counter-intuitively, used that setback to kickstart her writing career.

We hear about how as a child, Nakita Khrushchev gave Pam nightmares, inspiring her to learn Russian. And how later, as a writer, her investigations into cancer-causing water contamination led to a nationwide exposé. (And of course, a lot of stuff in between!)

One of the main take aways from our conversation is Pam’s concern for the future of local journalism. She wishes more people would recognize its value and its importance in keeping communities educated, connected, engaged and aware.

With all the negativity bombarding us every day, it’s Pam’s goal to focus on the positive, writing about people who are making good and constructive contributions to their community. (And to do it while they’re still alive!)

Please join us in our conversation!

Today we are once again talking with Hiram L. Smith, PhD, Associate Professor of Spanish and Linguistics at Bucknell University. My last podcast with Hiram felt like a cliffhanger…we barely scratched the surface of the language subject matter! Fortunately, Hiram was willing to come back for more.

Before I get into the description however, I want to provide any potential listeners with a warning. We cover some aspects of language that some people may find triggering. In the latter part of our conversation, we are discussing Hiram’s upcoming book: an academic analysis of the history and usage of the “N” word. I emphasize that we talk aboutthe word in an analytical and historic way; its linguistic origins and the evolution of its usage over time. If you find this troubling, do not listen to this episode and try any of my others.

With that PSA out of the way, other things we talk about include Hiram’s brief (and sadly very frustrating) stint working as an expert lexicographer on the Oxford Dictionary of African American English (ODAAE) which is intended to be an in-depth resource for defining terms unique to African American English. We hear about his frustrations, but he also shares a few of those terms, their history and usage.

We also continue our discussion, started in our first episode, about the misuse, misunderstanding and misappropriation of some of these uniquely AAE words and phrases.

Hiram also discusses “semantic bleaching”, the “recency illusion” and many other linguistic concepts that were certainly new to me!

It was really funny to learn that language “purists” have been complaining about how young people are ruining the language since the time of Plato! But as Hiram told me, the evolution of language is neither good nor bad, it is merely inevitable.

Once again, I felt like I’d attended a free (and very fun) “Master Class” in linguistics!

Please join us in our conversation!

Note: I dedicate this episode to my recently deceased brother Steve. He was a wonderful man, a best friend, a great supporter of my podcast, and is missed terribly. More on that in the recording.

Today’s guest is Hiram L. Smith, PhD, Associate Professor of Spanish and Linguistics at Bucknell University. I met Hiram in a most unusual way (you’ll have to listen to hear the story) but I am so glad I did!

Our conversation covered Hiram’s childhood and youth as a black boy/young man in racist Oklahoma. Some of his tales are hair-raising. But coming from a loving family with an emphasis on learning, and his being a smart kid, the groundwork was laid for a bright future.

Turns out, it was a hard-fought battle, with some setbacks along the way. But Hiram persevered with some help frommentors and ultimately from friends who said, “Why is a smart guy like you hanging out with the likes of us?”. (Sounds like a movie plot, right?)

Hiram’s interest in language started at an early age, and it carried him to Penn State where his dissertation focused on Creole languages. I learned a lot from this part of our discussion!

Now an Associate Professor at Bucknell, Hiram shared with me insights about languages; how they evolve over time and place and continue to evolve. We also talk about the origins of dialects and current misconceptions about dialects and what they mean.

Once we were done talking, I felt like I’d attended a free “Master Class” session! Plus, we had a lot of fun.

Please join us in our conversation! I'm certain you too will learn something new!