The business of making up words

From Nights, 8:30 pm on 19 June 2025

Nights' resident sociolinguist, Associate Professor Julia de Bres is back to talk ... retronyms.

If you're sitting there scratching your head thinking, "What's a retronym?" - don't worry. Julia only discovered the term herself not too long ago.

But now she's fully bonafide and ready to enlighten us with her wisdom.

Creativity, conceptual illustration. (Photo by Fanatic Studio/Gary Waters/SCIEN / FST / Science Photo Library via AFP)

Photo: FANATIC STUDIO/GARY WATERS/SCIEN