Slate Debates
A feed from the Slate podcast network featuring episodes with enlightening conversations, opposing views, and plenty of healthy disputes. You'll get a curated selection of episodes from programs like What Next, The Waves, and the Political Gabfest, with deep discussions that go beyond point-counterpoint and shed light on the issues that matter most.
176
Why Do Southerners Talk Like That?
John McWhorter dissects the many distinct features that make up Southern speech.
36 min
177
The Habitual Past
Did you "used to" do something but don't any longer? Where does that expression come from?!
31 min
178
A Riot of Color
Our word for "red" predates our word for "blue"—and that's true for almost every language!
37 min
179
The Rise of They
English pronouns are evolving and it's time to embrace it.
39 min
180
Wabbit Twacks
A linguistic analysis of Looney Tunes.
40 min
181
Tee Time
What the French Canadian version of The Flintstones can teach us about the letter T.
38 min
182
Happy Birthday OED!
John McWhorter raises an etymological glass to the nonagenarian Oxford English Dictionary.
32 min
183
If Frozen, Why Not Squozen?
Language lessons from this year's Tony nominees for Best Musical.
35 min
184
The Pronouning of Profanities
Words like f*ck and sh*t are increasingly standing in for *it* and *that*.
31 min
185
One Tongue to Rule Them All
The tantalizing prospect of a universal language.
35 min
186
The Art of the Spiel
A brief history of oratory from the Gilded Age to the Era of Trump.
40 min
187
Lend Me Your Ears: Julius Caesar
Slate's new podcast miniseries Lend Me Your Ears explores how Shakespeare's works speak to our current political era.
0 min
188
Getting to Yes
The making of our compact, workaday affirmative.
33 min
189
The Story of P
The 16th letter of our alphabet is a fancy little thing.
36 min
190
English Spelling Is a Beautiful Mess
John McWhorter on why English spelling is so frustratingly idiosyncratic.
34 min
191
Did the Founding Fathers Have a British Accent?
What we know about what Washington, Franklin and Hamilton may have sounded like.
34 min
192
No-Uh!
John McWhorter on the rise of an exclamatory syllable in English.
32 min
193
The Inner Workings of Out
The rich complexities of a humble preposition.
31 min
194
Words, For Her
John McWhorter on the origin of woman, girl and other lady terms.
32 min
195
What's the Deal with Eleven?
John McWhorter on the etymology and pronunciation of English numbers.
42 min
196
There Are Two N-Words
Like gangster and gangsta, nigger and nigga have become two distinct words.
32 min
197
The Thing Is Is
The problem is, is that we sometimes say "is" twice. Why?
31 min
198
An Accidental Sanctity
Biblical scholar Mark Ward discusses his forthcoming book, Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible.
31 min
199
Thanksgiving Misnomers
Turkey? Pumpkin? Squash? They're all mistakes.
33 min
200
Sometimes Just Because
Language is often at the mercy of pure chance.
29 min