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Judy Woodruff Launches 250th-Anniversary Podcast on Evolving English

8/11/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Judy Woodruff, journalist, hosts the “In Pursuit of Happiness” podcast series marking the United States’ 250th anniversary and exploring American English evolution.
Anne Curzan, linguist at the University of Michigan, says the modal verb “must” is being replaced by “have to” and “need to” and notes subtle vowel shifts occurring below speakers’ awareness.
Geoff Bennett, reporter, reports that all six episodes of the podcast are now available.

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Story summary

Judy Woodruff, journalist, hosts the “In Pursuit of Happiness” podcast series marking the United States’ 250th anniversary and exploring American English evolution.
Anne Curzan, linguist at the University of Michigan, says the modal verb “must” is being replaced by “have to” and “need to” and notes subtle vowel shifts occurring below speakers’ awareness.
Geoff Bennett, reporter, reports that all six episodes of the podcast are now available.