
The Rodney Dangerfield Pronoun
In language, redundancy opens up possibilities.
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Show Notes
Comedian Rodney Dangerfield was fond of introducing jokes with a kind of redundancy, for example: “My wife, she told me I was one in a million. I found out she was right.” But those seemingly superfluous pronouns are filled with promise.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 247: "The Rodney Dangerfield Pronoun." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.
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