Untangling nots

Podcasts

Inside Language | It’s long been one of the sharper words in the language, but does it still pack a punch? Kate Burridge talks to Peter Clarke

Kate Burridge & Peter Clarke 8 April 2016 37 words

To be, or not to be? Albers, a Belgian actor, in the role of Hamlet, circa 1902. Mary Evans Picture Library/AAP Imag

Nouns and verbs aren’t the only parts of the language on the move, says Kate Burridge. She talks to Peter Clarke about the evolution of that short but unequivocal word, “not.”

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Duration: 10 minutes 28 seconds

Kate Burridge is professor of linguistics at Monash University. Peter Clarke is a Melbourne-based broadcaster, writer and educator who pioneered national talkback on Australian radio as the inaugural presenter of Offspring (now Life Matters) on ABC Radio National.

Topics: Inside Language | language | podcast