Episodes

Thursday Jan 22, 2026
Thursday Jan 22, 2026
In this (Non-Political) bonus episode, Mike and Peter discuss the pronunciation of German loanwords into English. When is it appropriate to hyper-articulate the German sound system and when is it just too much? When is the English pronunciation more appropriate? And at what point is a lazy English pronunciation just butchering the word, leading to a lack of comprehension?
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Wednesday Nov 05, 2025
Wednesday Nov 05, 2025
In this second part of a two part episode, Mike and Peter discuss Aristotle's Politics in the context of the "No Kings" (peaceful) protests, and the reality that MAGA would actually be okay with a King.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
In this first part of a two part episode, Mike and Peter discuss Aristotle's Politics in the context of the "No Kings" (peaceful) protests, and the reality that MAGA would actually be okay with a King.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Thursday Oct 16, 2025
Thursday Oct 16, 2025
In this episode, Mike and Peter discuss mispronunciation and other forms of misspeaking. They insist that there are degrees of mistakes in a hierarchical order, driven by context, distinctiveness, and commonality.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
In this episode, Mike and Peter do a deep dive into the field of Semiotics and apply it to Pam Bondi, Trump, and MAGA, with some pop-cultural references along the way.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Thursday Sep 18, 2025
Thursday Sep 18, 2025
In this episode, Mike and Peter discuss the differences between mimicry and mockery and how they're being used in today's political landscape.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Friday Sep 12, 2025
Friday Sep 12, 2025
In this episode, Mike and Peter welcome Bajun Mavalwalla whose son was arrested by the FBI for peacefully protesting ICE actions in Spokane, WA. This story has far-reaching implications for every American citizen.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley
https://www.gofundme.com/f/qq96hr-support-bajun-mavalwalla-iis-legal-defense

Monday Sep 08, 2025
Monday Sep 08, 2025
In this episode, Mike and Peter discuss the influence that professional sports, and primarily the NFL, have had on politics and the American voting psyche.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Thursday Sep 04, 2025
Thursday Sep 04, 2025
In this episode, Mike and Peter discuss critical thinking and why it's a diminishing skill in American society.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Friday Aug 29, 2025
Friday Aug 29, 2025
In this third and final episode on the pronoun "they", Mike and Peter compare its potential capitalization with other languages that capitalize similar pronouns.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley







