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Analyzing The Text Of Obama's Inaugural Address

Although many Americans heard Barack Obama's inauguration speech, they probably weren't listening for plyptotons and catachresis — but Geoff Nunberg was.

Nunberg teaches at the University of California at Berkeley School of Information, and he is the former chair of the American Heritage Dictionary usage panel.

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Geoff Nunberg is the linguist contributor on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.