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.
326
LinguaFile I | Discombobulate
Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss a mystery word or phrase with Vocabulary.com executive producer Ben Zimmer.
18 min
327
Lexicon Valley No. 38: Fisherman's Whorf
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to Columbia University professor John McWhorter about his new book, The Language Hoax.
34 min
328
Lexicon Valley No. 37: Legislating Language
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss four legal cases in which the dictionary played a crucial part.
31 min
329
Lexicon Valley No. 36: The Dude Abides
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the early history of the word "dude."
35 min
330
Lexicon Valley No. 35: Learning to Say No
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the many meanings of a child's "no."
25 min
331
Lexicon Valley No. 34: Ask Not Who Wrote "Ask Not"
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss JFK's Inaugural Address with Richard Tofel, author of Sounding the Trumpet.
29 min
332
Lexicon Valley No. 33: The End of Ambiguity
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to linguist Arika Okrent about the most logical language ever invented.
24 min
333
Lexicon Valley: Special Announcement
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo announce the return of Lexicon Valley. Yay!
0 min
334
Lexicon Valley No. 32: The Burden of Being Right
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the irresistible pull of language pedantry.
34 min
335
Lexicon Valley No. 31: Name That Tone
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the relationship between tonal languages and musical acuity.
27 min
336
Lexicon Valley No. 30: Eject at High Altitude
Mike Vuolo talks with an anthropological linguist about the influence geography might have on speech.
19 min
337
Lexicon Valley #29: 30 Million By Four
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the importance of talking to your child.
28 min
338
Lexicon Valley #28: A Brief History of Swearing
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss curse words old and new with author Melissa Mohr.
24 min
339
Lexicon Valley #27: Accentuate the Positive
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the seemingly paradoxical phrase "yeah-no."
25 min
340
Special Announcement
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo announce a new run of Lexicon Valley episodes.
0 min
341
Special Announcement
Lexicon Valley will be back with a run of all-new episodes in the spring.
1 min
342
Lexicon Valley #26: The Fawth Flaw, Part II
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss R-dropping and the New York accent.
29 min
343
Lexicon Valley #25: The Fawth Flaw
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a defining feature of the classic New York accent.
22 min
344
Lexicon Valley #24: Get Your Creak On
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss creaky voice.
26 min
345
Lexicon Valley #23: Good Is Up
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss metaphor and the "fiscal cliff."
27 min
346
Lexicon Valley #22: Talking Leaves and Lightnin...
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the Cherokee syllabary.
28 min
347
Lexicon Valley #21: Undocumented Illegals
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the debate over "illegal" versus "undocumented" at the heart of U.S. immigration policy.
32 min
348
Lexicon Valley #20: Death to Potatoes
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo speak with Nataly Kelly, coauthor of Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World.
32 min
349
Lexicon Valley #19: Here's to You Mrs. Malaprop
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss what malapropisms might reveal about the way we organize our mental dictionary.
30 min
350
Lexicon Valley #18: The Rate of Exchange
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the commonly held belief that some languages are spoken faster than others.
24 min