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TTBOOK: Making Words Patricia O’Conner says that what Americans think of as a British accent is a fairly recent development. Roy Blount Jr. is a humorist, word maven and author. Dan Everett went to the Amazon as a young Christian missionary and became captivated by the Indian people and their totally unknown language. Arika Okrent tries out her Klingon, and explains why people make up languages. Irene Pepperberg teaches animal cognition at Harvard and worked with a remarkable grey parrot named Alex. Patricia O'Conner is a former editor at "The New York Times Book Review" and the author of "Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English." She tells Jim Fleming that what Americans think of as a British accent is a fairly recent development.

Roy Blount Jr. is a humorist, word maven and the author of "Alphabet Juice: The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words and Combinations Thereof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips and Secret Parts, Tinctures, Tonics and Essences; With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory." He tells Anne Strainchamps about the title of this program.

Dan Everett went to the Amazon as a young Christian missionary and became captivated by the Indian people he'd come to convert and their totally unknown language. He describes his time with them in a book called "Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes," and talks with Steve Paulson about the Piraha culture.

Arika Okrent is a linguist and the author of "In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Logian Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build A Perfect Language." She tries her Klingon out on Jim Fleming and explains why people make up languages.

Irene Pepperberg teaches animal cognition at Harvard and is an associate research professor at Brandeis. For thirty years, she worked with a remarkable grey parrot named Alex. She's chronicled their relationship in a book: "Alex & Me: How A Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence – and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process." Pepperberg talks about her work with Alex with Steve Paulson, and we hear recordings of them at work.