Chrysti the Wordsmith

Chrysti the Wordsmith is a delightful two-minute audio interlude produced in the studios of KGLT-FM in Bozeman Montana, on the campus of Montana State University-Bozeman. The series explores the rich and ever-changing words in our English language -- the history behind them, how we use them and how we change them. Each vignette is a journey into word derivations through a myriad of languages, legends, customs and cultures. Often, the trail winds through surprising territory.

"Aster, from the Greek language, means star," explains Chrysti Smith, the researcher, writer and narrator of the series. "An astronaut is a 'star-sailor,' one who uses the stars to navigate the heavens. Rooted herein is also "asterisk" -- the small star we use in print."

Where did the "Ouija" board get its name? Smith says, "The Fuld brothers, two American entrepreneurs who invented the game, borrowed the French and German words for 'yes.' Ouija is 'yes-yes.' The name attempts to evoke the affirmative answers the board is expected to produce."

Smith also investigates the stories behind such favorite American English cliches as "raining cats and dogs," "paint the town red," "three sheets to the wind," and "the whole nine yards.

Over the last thirteen years, millions of listeners have enjoyed Chrysti the Wordsmith, as it has aired on dozens of U.S. markets and worldwide on Armed Forces Radio. Chrysti has researched and recorded hundreds of two-minute radio scripts about words, the fascination of which lies beyond the dictionary definitions. She composes each script for a listening audience, paying attention to the "ear value" of each word, phrase and sentence.

As a verbivore, Smith has amassed a personal library of hundreds of dictionaries and word-related tomes. Her favorites include the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue; The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang; Dictionary of Word Origins, and the delightfully quirky Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary, a collection of the weirdest and most unusual words in the English language.

Chrysti the Wordsmith is a must-have for radio programmers who are interested in offering their listeners a program they can use and enjoy. As Chrysti says, "the words in our language are as riveting as the epic of the human race itself."

Photo Credit: Tana Kappel

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