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Mother Tongue by Jenni Nuttall — A Nonfiction Deep Dive into the History of Women's Words
Hosted by Sara Vander Zwaag & Jennie Lindsay
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Summary
Sara and Jennie step away from romantasy for a nonfiction episode on Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall — a history of the English language traced through words used to describe women's bodies, sexuality, motherhood, work, and aging. They dig into the book's best moments (British towns historically named after a certain four-letter word, the etymology of "seamstress," the loss of language like "singlewoman"), get into an interesting disagreement about the book's treatment of gender-neutral language, and go on a tangent about the neuroscience of how language shapes perception.
Correction
In the episode, the hosts mention that Jenni Nuttall was a Cambridge University professor. She was actually a scholar at the University of Oxford, where she taught and researched medieval literature. Our apologies for misspeaking!
Spoilers
None — this is a nonfiction discussion, not a plot-driven book.
Content Warnings
Discussion of the historical influence of religion (particularly Christianity) on the oppression of women, brief mention of pregnancy loss, discussion of gender-neutral language debates (including a brief, non-judgmental discussion of "TERF" discourse), strong language/profanity throughout, and frank discussion of anatomy, menstruation, and childbirth.
Chapters
00:23 – Welcome back & introducing this season's nonfiction pick
03:48 – Reading the book's summary and overview of its scope
05:12 – Is this book intersectional? A discussion of its British, Old English-focused lens
07:34 – Favorite historical finds: towns named after a fave 4-letter word, and British slang
10:20 – "Flowers," "Aunt Flo," and disagreeing on period euphemisms
11:14 – The legal history behind "spinster," "singlewoman," and married women's business rights
12:15 – "Seamster" vs. "seamstress" and the linguistics of gendered suffixes
14:06 – A tangent on the neuroscience of language and perception
19:01 – Motherhood, poetry, and grief over lost language
22:06 – Aging and menopause, and creating new language for "crone-hood"
22:56 – Pregnancy and birth language — contractions vs. "surges"
24:03 – Disagreement: was the author too neutral on gender-inclusive language?
28:59 – Final ratings and why they'd recommend this one widely
Mentioned in This Episode
Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall
FAQ
What book do Sara and Jennie discuss in Episode 32 of the Spread Your Wingspan podcast?
They discuss Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall, a nonfiction history of the English language as it relates to women's bodies, sexuality, and experiences.
Is Mother Tongue by Jenni Nuttall a romance or fantasy book?
No — this is a nonfiction linguistics and history book, a departure from the show's usual romantasy and romance focus.
Do Sara and Jennie recommend Mother Tongue by Jenni Nuttall to their listeners?
Yes — both hosts rate it a 9 out of 10 and call it highly accessible even for readers who don't typically read nonfiction.
