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.
176
White Author, Black English. Problem?
Mark Twain famously depicted what he called the "Missouri Negro dialect" of Jim. Would that be acceptable today?
52 min
177
Do Cats Have Language?
Animals bark, sing, purr and even gesture, all fascinating but a far cry from human communication.
58 min
178
Sergeant, Corporal, Colonel!
Peculiar linguistic tales of America's soldiers.
36 min
179
To Reason Why
There's more than one way to ask why. How come? What for?
34 min
180
When Talking to Your Mother-In-Law Is a Minefield
From baby talk to formal varieties, languages around the world offer—or even require—different ways of speaking for different situations.
40 min
181
The Incredible Story of the Traveling Creole
Enslaved people developed a hybrid language that sailed from Africa to the Caribbean and—unbelievably—back again.
59 min
182
This Am a Minstrel Stereotype, Right?
A longstanding mystery of Black English may finally be solved.
52 min
183
When Jews Adapted Spanish
Languages of the Ottoman Empire, inspired by historian Alan Mikhail's new book God's Shadow.
44 min
184
Does English Have a Future?
49 min
185
Defund Karen
On the insults, acronyms and sloganeering of America's racial reckoning.
39 min
186
Beyond the Five Ws
The curious grammar of questions in languages around the world.
49 min
187
Tweety Bird and Toddlerspeak
Language acquisition is like magic—how do children do it?!
44 min
188
Coronavirus: Isolation and Aspiration
41 min
189
Our Indigenous Languages
A luxuriance of long words, baroque case endings and irregular everything—the Native American tongues!
58 min
190
I Just Can't!
Host John McWhorter shares some of his longstanding language peeves—yes, linguists have them too!
43 min
191
The Many Meanings of Too
Host John McWhorter finds linguistic inspiration in an 80-year-old musical performance of Rubber Dolly.
39 min
192
Sicko, Whacko, Weirdo
The -o suffix traces back to old comic strip characters with names like Knocko and Groucho. Neato!
40 min
193
Chinese Has No Grammar, Right? Wrong!
Mandarin might not have gender or case endings but there's more to grammar than conjugations.
47 min
194
From Uptalk to Vocal Fry, Women Are Prolific La...
Want to hear what English will sound like in the future? Talk to a woman.
46 min
195
In What Order Did Languages Arrive in Europe?
DNA analysis is revealing which speakers traveled where and when.
41 min
196
Digging Up the Past
Let's talk about how we talk about that which already occurred.
38 min
197
Verbs on the Move
Coming and going in languages around the world.
38 min
198
Does PROCESSES Rhyme with KNEES?
How our idea of formality can affect the way we say certain words.
44 min
199
A Bisl Yiddish
Add to German a large helping of Hebrew and a dollop of Slavic. Stir. Let marinate. Enjoy!
44 min
200
Private Parts
What does a rooster have to do with male genitalia anyway?
37 min