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Geoff Nunberg

Geoff Nunberg is the linguist contributor on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

He teaches at the School of Information at the University of California at Berkeley and is the author of The Way We Talk Now, Going Nucular, Talking Right and The Years of Talking Dangerously. His most recent book is Ascent of the A-Word. His website is www.geoffreynunberg.com.

Opinion
11:36 am
Tue March 13, 2012

Slut: The Other Four Letter S-Word

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Definition of slut found in dictionary.
Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University, testifies about contraceptives and insurance coverage during a hearing before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
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Originally published on Wed March 14, 2012 10:12 am

Geoff Nunberg, the linguist contributor on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, is the author of the book The Years of Talking Dangerously.

"My choice of words was not the best," Rush Limbaugh said in his apology. That's the standard formula for these things — you apologize not for what you said but for the way you said it.

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Commentary
11:49 am
Wed December 7, 2011

'Occupy:' Geoff Nunberg's 2011 Word Of The Year

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Geoff Nunberg, the linguist contributor on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, is the author of the book The Years of Talking Dangerously.

If the word of the year is supposed to be an item that has actually shaped the perception of important events, I can't see going with anything but occupy. It was a late entry, but since mid-September it has gone viral and global. Just scan the thousands of hash tags and Facebook pages that begin with the word: Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Slovakia. Occupy Saskatoon, Sesame Street, the Constitution. Occupy the hood.

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