Ever wonder why we call a remote control a "clicker" even though it hasn't clicked in thirty years? Or why your grandma in Ohio says "pop" while your cousin in Seattle says "soda"? Language is weird. It's messy, human, and constantly shifting under our feet. That is exactly why the A Way with Words podcast remains a powerhouse in the world of public radio and digital streaming. It isn't just some dry, academic lecture about grammar. Far from it.
It's a show about us.
Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, the hosts, have been doing this for a long time. They don't just sit in a booth and read from a dictionary. They take calls from real people—truck drivers, teachers, kids, retirees—who are genuinely baffled by something they heard or a phrase their family has used for generations. It’s part linguistics, part history, and a huge part therapy for the word-obsessed.
The Secret Sauce of A Way with Words
Most language shows feel like they’re waiting to hit you over the knuckles with a ruler for using "literally" the wrong way. Not this one. Martha and Grant are descriptivists. That’s a fancy way of saying they care more about how people actually talk than how some 19th-century style guide says they should talk.
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You’ve probably heard Martha’s voice if you listen to NPR. She has this background in Ancient Greek and Latin, which sounds intimidating, but she uses it to deconstruct why we say "clue" (which originally meant a ball of thread) without making you feel like you're back in tenth-grade English. Grant is a lexicographer. He literally helps write dictionaries. When someone calls in asking about slang from the 1920s or a new term they saw on TikTok, he’s usually the guy who can track down the first time it appeared in print.
The show is produced by Wayword, Inc., a small non-profit. They aren't some massive corporate media conglomerate. This independence shows. The conversations feel unhurried.
Why the "Old School" Format Still Works
In an era of high-octane true crime and over-produced celebrity interviews, a call-in show about "slang, grammar, and old sayings" sounds almost quaint. But it works because it taps into our identity. When a caller asks about a phrase their grandfather used, they aren't just asking about words. They’re asking about their heritage.
Take the word "doozy." Is it from the Duesenberg car? Grant will tell you, flat out, that while it’s a popular theory, it’s probably wrong. The word was likely around before the car was famous. These little debunkings happen all the time on the A Way with Words podcast. They handle it with a "kinda" and a "sorta" rather than an "actually, you're incorrect." It’s a conversation among friends who happen to be geniuses.
Language is Not a Static Thing
People get angry about language. Seriously. You should see the comment sections when someone says "irregardless."
But Martha and Grant maintain this calm, intellectual high ground. They argue—rightly so—that language is a living organism. If it didn't change, we'd still be speaking like Beowulf. The podcast acts as a real-time archive of these shifts.
I remember an episode where a woman called in because her husband used a specific term for the "dust bunnies" under the bed. It turned out to be a regionalism specific to a tiny pocket of the American South. This is what the show does best. It connects the dots between a single family’s kitchen table and the broad sweeps of migratory history.
The Myth of "Correct" English
One of the biggest misconceptions the A Way with Words podcast fights is the idea that there is one "pure" version of English. There isn't. There never has been.
Whether it's African American Vernacular English (AAVE), Appalachian dialects, or the Spanglish spoken in Southern California, the show treats all variations with equal respect. They look at the "why" behind the grammar. Why do we drop the "g" in some words? Why do some people say "ax" instead of "ask"? Hint: it’s not laziness. It’s phonological evolution that has been happening for a thousand years.
Behind the Mic: Martha and Grant
Martha Barnette came to the show after a career in journalism and writing books like A Garden of Words. She has this incredible ability to connect botanical history to everyday speech. Grant Barrett, on the other hand, is the guy who looks at the data. He’s been involved with the American Dialect Society and their "Word of the Year" selections.
They’ve been co-hosting since 2007. That kind of chemistry is rare. They finish each other’s sentences, but they also push back on each other’s theories. It’s a dynamic that keeps the show from feeling like a dusty archive. It feels alive.
How to Get the Most Out of the Show
If you’re new to the A Way with Words podcast, don’t feel like you have to start at episode one. It's not a serialized drama. You can jump in anywhere.
Honestly, the best way to listen is to find a topic that bugs you. Do you hate it when people say "I could care less"? There's an episode for that. Are you curious why we call it a "piggy bank"? They’ve covered it.
Actionable Ways to Improve Your Own Word Game
Listening is great, but here is how you can actually use the insights from the show in your daily life:
- Stop being a grammar jerk. Next time someone says something "wrong," think about the history. Is it a regionalism? A common evolution? Most "errors" are just the language trying out new clothes.
- Record your elders. Ask your parents or grandparents about phrases they used as kids. Language disappears when people stop speaking it. If you find a weird phrase, call the show! They love that stuff.
- Check the sources. Use sites like Dictionary.com or the Oxford English Dictionary if you have access through a library. Don't just trust "common knowledge" about word origins. Most of it is folk etymology—stories we make up because they sound good.
- Support non-profit media. Since the show is independent, they rely on listeners. If you find value in knowing why you "bark up the wrong tree," consider how that content gets made.
Language is the only tool we all use every single day. We might as well understand how it works. The A Way with Words podcast doesn't just give you definitions; it gives you a deeper look at the human experience through the lens of the things we say.
The next time you hear a weird phrase at the grocery store, don't just roll your eyes. Wonder about it. Look it up. That curiosity is what keeps the world—and our language—interesting.