{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrammar-girl-grammarpaloozian-bonus-feed.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2F1233-bonus-yjH0Y4Od","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"The clues hidden in loanwords, river names, and even our bite, with Laura Spinney","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/144e46c6-af93-41fd-b037-2ab1fda9b542/ce075fd3-781a-43fb-9ef3-a465b9d2739d/grammar_girl_assets_templates_2_fb_ig_profile_picture_v1.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/9fad5e50-1890-44a4-b7b3-cde108665886\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"The clues hidden in loanwords, river names, and even our bite, with Laura Spinney\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"In this week’s bonus, we continue our conversation with Laura Spinney, author of “Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global.” We look at how Persian loanwords for honey, pear, and donkey help trace the Roma people’s long migration from India, and how river names like the Neckar hint at where the Celtic languages may have begun. Then we look at how climate change and disease shaped which languages thrived, and how softer food from farming may have changed our bite and made “f” and “v” sounds easier to say. \n"}