Birth of a nickname - John McWhorter
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Where do nicknames come from? Why are Ellens called Nellie and Edwards Ned? It’s all a big misunderstanding from the early days of the English language, a misunderstanding that even the word nickname itself derives from. John McWhorter tracks the accidental evolution of some familiar diminutives.
Given how so many words are different now than what they were in earlier English, how do you feel about nother in whole nother?
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- Educator John McWhorter
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