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.
251
Happy Birthday OED!
John McWhorter raises an etymological glass to the nonagenarian Oxford English Dictionary.
32 min
252
If Frozen, Why Not Squozen?
Language lessons from this year's Tony nominees for Best Musical.
35 min
253
The Pronouning of Profanities
Words like f*ck and sh*t are increasingly standing in for *it* and *that*.
31 min
254
One Tongue to Rule Them All
The tantalizing prospect of a universal language.
35 min
255
The Art of the Spiel
A brief history of oratory from the Gilded Age to the Era of Trump.
40 min
256
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
257
Getting to Yes
The making of our compact, workaday affirmative.
33 min
258
The Story of P
The 16th letter of our alphabet is a fancy little thing.
36 min
259
English Spelling Is a Beautiful Mess
John McWhorter on why English spelling is so frustratingly idiosyncratic.
34 min
260
Did the Founding Fathers Have a British Accent?
What we know about what Washington, Franklin and Hamilton may have sounded like.
34 min
261
No-Uh!
John McWhorter on the rise of an exclamatory syllable in English.
32 min
262
The Inner Workings of Out
The rich complexities of a humble preposition.
31 min
263
Words, For Her
John McWhorter on the origin of woman, girl and other lady terms.
32 min
264
What's the Deal with Eleven?
John McWhorter on the etymology and pronunciation of English numbers.
42 min
265
There Are Two N-Words
Like gangster and gangsta, nigger and nigga have become two distinct words.
32 min
266
The Thing Is Is
The problem is, is that we sometimes say "is" twice. Why?
31 min
267
An Accidental Sanctity
Biblical scholar Mark Ward discusses his forthcoming book, Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible.
31 min
268
Thanksgiving Misnomers
Turkey? Pumpkin? Squash? They're all mistakes.
33 min
269
Sometimes Just Because
Language is often at the mercy of pure chance.
29 min
270
Against Strunk & White
It's time to permanently shelve the Elements of Style.
29 min
271
Whence Baby Mama?
John McWhorter answers questions from Lexicon Valley listeners.
34 min
272
Este No Es Parqueo
After parking in front of a garage, John received a note written in Spanish.
33 min
273
From Pidgins to Creoles
John McWhorter discusses the process by which some new languages are born.
34 min
274
Do Languages Simplify Over Time?
Old English was arguably more complicated than Modern English. Is that true of all languages?
28 min
275
Did Cavebabies Say Mama and Papa?
Languages across the world developed similar words for "mom" and "dad." How is that possible?
28 min