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