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.
226
Why Language Can't Be Tamed
A conversation with Lane Greene, author of Talk on the Wild Side, about the "vague and anarchic" nature of language.
35 min
227
Is Social Media Changing English?
Our speech is becoming more childlike, but not for the reasons you think.
37 min
228
What Was the First Language?
How far back can we trace, with any accuracy, the spoken word?
43 min
229
So ... Let's Talk About So
How long have we been starting our sentences with "so"?
35 min
230
Like-Minded
A meditation on the evolution of the word like.
28 min
231
Why Do Southerners Talk Like That?
John McWhorter dissects the many distinct features that make up Southern speech.
36 min
232
The Habitual Past
Did you "used to" do something but don't any longer? Where does that expression come from?!
31 min
233
A Riot of Color
Our word for "red" predates our word for "blue"—and that's true for almost every language!
37 min
234
The Rise of They
English pronouns are evolving and it's time to embrace it.
39 min
235
Wabbit Twacks
A linguistic analysis of Looney Tunes.
40 min
236
Tee Time
What the French Canadian version of The Flintstones can teach us about the letter T.
38 min
237
Happy Birthday OED!
John McWhorter raises an etymological glass to the nonagenarian Oxford English Dictionary.
32 min
238
If Frozen, Why Not Squozen?
Language lessons from this year's Tony nominees for Best Musical.
35 min
239
The Pronouning of Profanities
Words like f*ck and sh*t are increasingly standing in for *it* and *that*.
31 min
240
One Tongue to Rule Them All
The tantalizing prospect of a universal language.
35 min
241
The Art of the Spiel
A brief history of oratory from the Gilded Age to the Era of Trump.
40 min
242
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
243
Getting to Yes
The making of our compact, workaday affirmative.
33 min
244
The Story of P
The 16th letter of our alphabet is a fancy little thing.
36 min
245
English Spelling Is a Beautiful Mess
John McWhorter on why English spelling is so frustratingly idiosyncratic.
34 min
246
Did the Founding Fathers Have a British Accent?
What we know about what Washington, Franklin and Hamilton may have sounded like.
34 min
247
No-Uh!
John McWhorter on the rise of an exclamatory syllable in English.
32 min
248
The Inner Workings of Out
The rich complexities of a humble preposition.
31 min
249
Words, For Her
John McWhorter on the origin of woman, girl and other lady terms.
32 min
250
What's the Deal with Eleven?
John McWhorter on the etymology and pronunciation of English numbers.
42 min