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.
276
New Life for Dying Languages
The Language Conservancy's Wil Meya discusses the effort to revive Native American languages.
34 min
277
In the Negative
The history and evolution of "no" and "not."
28 min
278
Why Do Languages Have Contractions?
John McWhorter explains why we love shrinkage.
32 min
279
The Incredible Lightness of Being
John McWhorter considers the eccentric irregularity of the verb "to be."
26 min
280
Is There a Jewish Way of Talking?
John McWhorter interrupts the hosts of Unorthodox to discuss hallmarks and stereotypes of Jewish communication style.
35 min
281
Mining Graffiti for Slang
John McWhorter talks to Ben Zimmer about the Vietnam Graffiti Project and other slangy topics.
28 min
282
That's Not a Word, Is It?
John McWhorter discusses the near-futile impulse to determine what is, and what is not, a word.
27 min
283
The Language of Female Friendships
John McWhorter discusses communication styles with linguist Deborah Tannen, author of You're the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women's Friendships.
32 min
284
The Euphemism Treadmill
John McWhorter on the evolution from "crippled" to "handicapped" to "differently abled" and why no such term is likely to stick around long.
25 min
285
Heyo, Let's Talk About Hamilton
John McWhorter talks to linguist Neal Whitman about the mash-up of "hey" and "yo."
27 min
286
Earlier American English—More Profane, Parochia...
John McWhorter time travels to 1930 and eavesdrops on American English.
29 min
287
Like, Why Do We Use Like So Much?
John McWhorter talks to sociolinguist Alexandra D'Arcy about the spike in our use of like.
32 min
288
What Had Happened Was Storytelling
John McWhorter discusses the subject of his new book, Talking Back, Talking Black: Truths About America's Lingua Franca.
30 min
289
Why We Stopped Teaching Children How to Read
Mark Seidenberg, author of Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It, discusses the fallout from the so-called reading wars.
29 min
290
Away in a Penthouse, the Little Lord Jesus
When "hath" gave way to "has," the original meaning of "merry," and other insights from popular Christmas carols.
25 min
291
What "The Wizard of Oz" Can Tell Us About "Arri...
In "Arrival," Amy Adams plays a linguist who discovers that language can radically alter one's perception of reality. But is that true?
27 min
292
Black Like Us
Are the slang, sounds, and syntax of Black English a kind of lingua franca for America's youth?
30 min
293
Language Lessons of Past Presidents
What can we learn about English from Bill Clinton, the two Bushes, and other leaders of the free world?
29 min
294
Whither Didst Thou Go?
How our rich and complex system of second person pronouns got whittled down to just "you."
33 min
295
Why Do People Talk Like That in Old Movies?
What Bette Davis, FDR, and Ralph Kramden have in common when it comes to speech.
31 min
296
Billy and Me Went to the Store. Deal With It.
John McWhorter on what the intricacies of the future tense tell us about the unwritten rules of pronouns.
24 min
297
What Is a Dictionary, Really?
John Simpson, former editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, talks about life as a lexicographer.
22 min
298
The Invisible Language of Nursery Rhymes
What does "Hickory Dickory Dock" really mean? John McWhorter makes linguistic sense of seemingly arbitrary children's verse.
22 min
299
Word Sex
How Words Hook Up and Make New Ones
34 min
300
Should Shakespeare Get a Modern English Update?
John McWhorter talks with author Jack Lynch about the sacrilege of modified Shakespeare.
43 min