Why Is Turkey Called Turkey?

As we thaw, baste, roast, and feast on our Thanksgiving centerpieces, a questions comes to mind: Why is a bird native to North America named after a Eurasian country?

Dan Jurafsky, a professor and chair of linguistics at Stanford University and author of the “The Language of Food,” explains the word origin to Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti.

Guest

• Dan Jurafsky, professor and chair of linguistics at Stanford University and author of “The Language of Food.” He tweets @jurafsky.

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