Talk Like a Texan: Let's Chaw the Rag

The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad’s creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women’s bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don’t know yet—but should.

John Nova Lomax discusses the proper usages of Y'all with UT Associate Professor of English and Linguistics Lars Hinrichs.

Howdy, y'all, why don't you put on your sitting britches, and let's chaw the rag, as this episode of Talk Like a Texan is all about our pithy and colorful sayings

John Nova Lomax explores the sometimes messy but always rewarding collision of Spanish and English in the Lone Star State.

What do you call your grandparents? Granny and grandpa? Mammaw and Pappaw? Abuelo and abuela? Or something else entirely? It seems like there are as many variations on this theme as there are yoga studios in Austin, and we talked to experts and rank and file Texans alike in an effort to reach a broad consensus.

What do you call that little road next to the great big freeway?

In our first episode, host John Nova Lomax guides us through the proper way of pronouncing "pecan."