Linguist Answers Word Origin Questions

Linguist Gareth Roberts joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about the etymologies of English words. How did the first languages first form? Was there once a single common language that all the others evolved from? When were swear words invented? Have words like “dude” and “bro” become gender neutral? Who came up with the word poop? Is “unalived” a real word now? Answers to all of these questions and plenty more await on Etymology Support. Director: Anna O’Donohue Director of Photography: Caleb Weiss Editor: Richard Trammell Expert: Gareth Roberts Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi Associate Producer: Brandon White Production Manager: Peter Brunette Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer Camera Operator: Christopher Eustache Sound Mixer: Sean Paulsen Production Assistant: Sonia Butt Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen Additional Editor: Paul Tael; Jason Malizia Assistant Editor: Andy Morell