Danny Bate
Public linguist, podcaster, and author of Why Q Needs You; discusses historical syntax, Proto-Indo-European, and the history of the alphabet as the featured interviewee.
Best podcasts with Danny Bate
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11 snips
Oct 16, 2025 • 38min
Why Q needs U and how hieroglyphics created our alphabet, with Danny Bate
Danny Bate, a linguist and author with a PhD in linguistics, unpacks fascinating insights about our alphabet's evolution. He discusses how Egyptian hieroglyphs transformed into symbols that represent sounds. Bate explains the acro principle, revealing that the letter A was once a consonant. He also explores boustrophedon writing and the curious journey of the letter K. Dive deep into why Q needs U and how historical influences shaped English spelling. Prepare to rethink the way you view letters and words!
Nov 20, 2025 • 1h 1min
110: The history of the history of Indo-European - Interview with Danny Bate
Danny Bate, a public linguist, podcaster, and author, dives into the intriguing world of Proto-Indo-European language. He shares why reconstructing ancient word order is trickier than sounds and discusses the flexible nature of PIE word order. The conversation explores competing homeland theories, blending insights from genetics and archaeology. Danny also highlights fascinating facts from his book on the alphabet, like how Greek and Latin letters evolved, and explains the history behind double letters in English. A treasure trove for language lovers!
