b'The Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their OriginsBroadcast April-2 8Does texting drive you crazy? OMG! What about teenagers who pepper theirsentences with like and you know. English is changing all around us.But, as Anne Curzan informs us, this evolution isnt new.Words have fascinating stories to tell about the history andculture of their speakers, about human creativity, andabout the power of language. Well explore the historyof English words, where new words come from,and who has the authority to coin a word.As well discover, wordplay is a uniquelyhuman form of entertainment.Dr. Anne Curzan is a Professor of Englishat the University of Michigan, includingappointments in the Linguistics & EducationDepartments. She also sits on the usagepanel for the American Heritage Dictionary,and talks about language in her column,Talking About Words, in Michigan Today.55'