Topic: Linguistic Patterns

A listener reported a psychological phenomenon where she sees hexagons in everyday objects and print media, claiming they are appearing more frequently. This obsession with patterns is compared to the proliferation of linguistic fillers like "yeah, no" and "to an extreme." These repetitive phrases are noted as becoming ubiquitous in modern speech.

Producer Secret Agent Paul creates a new musical montage highlighting John C. Dvorak's frequent use of the phrase "at the end of the day." The segment explores various verbal tics and linguistic patterns used by the hosts, including "yeah, no" and "wow." A listener email from southern Europe describes how these phrases are being picked up by non-native English speakers.

John Dvorak identifies a specific linguistic pattern among Hillary Clinton supporters and staff, characterized by frequent use of "um," "uh," and "you know." He suggests this cadence is a marker of the Clinton political milieu. The hosts observe these speech patterns in several speakers from the Netroots event.

The increasing use of the word "so" as a conversational filler and attention-grabbing device is identified as a disturbing linguistic trend. The hosts admit to their own struggle with this habit and compare it to other repetitive phrases like "fact of the matter." The trend is noted as being particularly prevalent in social media interactions and broadcast interviews.

A brief aside examines the verbal tics of Hillary Clinton, specifically her frequent use of "uh" and "the fact of the matter." One host admits to having a "father complex" regarding the other's linguistic critiques, leading to a change in his own speaking habits. The segment contrasts Clinton's polished public persona with her repetitive phrasing during long Senate hearings.