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.
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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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