Why Bad English is Good, Josephine Baker, Money for Pa. Schools

The case for like…um…keeping bad English, slang and filler words in our conversations. We'll also talk about the life of Josephine Baker and school funding in Pa.

Listen 50:09
Valerie Fridland is the author of 'Like, Literally, Dude'.

Valerie Fridland is the author of 'Like, Literally, Dude'.

Pennsylvania lawmakers missed Friday’s deadline to appeal the landmark decision that found the state’s school funding unconstitutional. WHYY city education reporter Amanda Fitzpatrick has the latest.


Do you try to avoid overfilling sentences with ‘like’ and ‘um’ in order to sound more polished or professional? In her book, Like, Literally, Dude, sociolinguist and author Valerie Fridland makes a case for reimagining these words as an important part of speech that makes us better communicators. She joins us to talk about how language evolves and why we shouldn’t get so hung up on grammar.


With well-known stores including Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia and Ida’s in Collingswood, Jeannine Cook highlights the accomplishments and revolutionary acts of Black women. She’ll join us from Paris to discuss her new exhibit overseas that shines a spotlight on the history of Josephine Baker.

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