Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.
Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

What the way we pronounce Iran says about us. Odorous or malodorous? When smell words stink.

Apr 07, 2026 · 16m

<p>1174. This week, we look at why we pronounce "Iran" and "Iraq" differently and what those pronunciations reveal about our political beliefs. Then, we look at the "smelly" words that confuse people, including "odorous," which started out meaning "fragrant" but now mostly describes bad smells.</p><p>The "Iran" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and author of the soon-to-be-released book "<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/why-we-talk-funny-the-real-story-behind-our-accents-valerie-fridland/f3d0b612baf2d24c?ean=9780593830482&amp;next=t" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story …

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