Added 5.10.19. Before email, there was this thing called the letter. As most people born prior to the digital age likely know, for many centuries letters served not only as a means of private communication but also as a rich source of material for historians and other scholars. Though we think of letters as typically extemporaneous and personal, they could be more composed, and far-reaching. Milt in this 1997 episode delves into the subject with three experts. They start with the epic and bristling letter from Samuel Johnson to his former patron Lord Chesterfield, and then jump to other points in the historical continuum to reveal the art and effect of the letter in history.

Inevitably, language guardians focus more on abuse than upon admirable use. Either way, this is a topic of eternal interest and prone to generate amusement and argument. And, by the way, which presidential candidate speaks of experts as “pundints” rather than “pundits?”

The basic unanswered (unanswerable?) question is how did language originate. Are we uniquely structured (larynx, throat, tongue, etc.) and intelligent (brain) so that we are the only linguistic animals? And, if not, what is the nature and extent of the “languages” of other species? For that matter, does thinking require language itself? We are joined by three professors of linguistics in this vivid 2001 discussion.

Robert Macneil, broadcast journalist of Canadian origin, has an abiding interest in the varying accents and vocabularies of english speakers. His book “Do You Speak American?” examines American regional accents and in this program from 2005 we listen to many of them and analyze how they were formed. The range is all the way from Brooklyn to California “valley girl.” And how do you pronounce “merry Mary married?”

Here’s a famous linguist who disagrees with contemporary advocates of the simple, minimalist style whether in writing or in oratory. To the contrary, John McWhorter tells us, in this spirited conversation from 2003, that he favors and misses the “elevated speech” that once marked the public utterances of great political figures and great writers. The conversation abounds with examples of memorable quotations. A very good time was had by both guest and host.