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.
201
The Romance Languages
What an ancient, undecipherable manuscript says—and doesn't say—about Latin and its spawn.
41 min
202
Why Do Some Americans Say Warshed?
The letter R has a habit of intruding on spoken English. How come?
45 min
203
Flores Man vs. Sulawesi
A linguistic mystery in the Lesser Sunda Islands.
43 min
204
The Lingua Francas
A conversation with Gaston Dorren, author of Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages.
33 min
205
Can Climate Influence Language?
Tonal languages evolved mostly in hot and humid places. What would explain that?
42 min
206
When Ain't Was Alright
What we can learn about English from am, the seemingly simplest verb.
35 min
207
The Semitic Tongues
Where did Arabic, Hebrew and Amharic originate? And what is a triconsonantal root?
41 min
208
Precious Little
How an old word for child morphed into a versatile, and very modern, suffix.
39 min
209
When Words Collide
Some more of the many ways that neologisms form.
40 min
210
Truth Be Told
An actually very literal discussion of true words. Really!
36 min
211
A Penetrating History of F*%k
English speakers have been getting it on with the F-word for centuries.
42 min
212
When Did English Get Happy?
A New Year's meditation on a joyful word.
34 min
213
Sponsored: Adjusting the Lens on Chronic Disease
More than half of Americans are currently living with one or more serious, preventable, chronic diseases. These rates are expected to increase significantly over the next two decades.
28 min
214
Why Language Can't Be Tamed
A conversation with Lane Greene, author of Talk on the Wild Side, about the "vague and anarchic" nature of language.
35 min
215
Is Social Media Changing English?
Our speech is becoming more childlike, but not for the reasons you think.
37 min
216
What Was the First Language?
How far back can we trace, with any accuracy, the spoken word?
43 min
217
So ... Let's Talk About So
How long have we been starting our sentences with "so"?
35 min
218
Like-Minded
A meditation on the evolution of the word like.
28 min
219
Why Do Southerners Talk Like That?
John McWhorter dissects the many distinct features that make up Southern speech.
36 min
220
The Habitual Past
Did you "used to" do something but don't any longer? Where does that expression come from?!
31 min
221
A Riot of Color
Our word for "red" predates our word for "blue"—and that's true for almost every language!
37 min
222
The Rise of They
English pronouns are evolving and it's time to embrace it.
39 min
223
Wabbit Twacks
A linguistic analysis of Looney Tunes.
40 min
224
Tee Time
What the French Canadian version of The Flintstones can teach us about the letter T.
38 min
225
Happy Birthday OED!
John McWhorter raises an etymological glass to the nonagenarian Oxford English Dictionary.
32 min