Slate Debates
Slate Podcasts
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 11, 2021 • 42min
Irregardless Make You Cringe? Relax.
English is full of redundancies—so why are we bothered by only a select few?Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 27, 2021 • 41min
Nine Nasty Words
John McWhorter teases his new book about off-color English expressions, starting with c!#k.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 13, 2021 • 47min
The Invisible Complexities of Translation
A single word—take "self," for example—reveals the thorny nature of literary translation.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 30, 2021 • 44min
English Is Plain Weird
Don't be fooled into thinking that English is a typical language. It's not.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 16, 2021 • 43min
Subject-Verb-Object. Right?
For many languages, the idea that the subject belongs up front is plain backwards.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 2, 2021 • 44min
Parting Company
How did a word meaning "with bread" come to sprout its corporate connotation?Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 16, 2021 • 46min
Wallowing in Negativity
From the evolution of ain't to double negatives, simply saying no is wonderfully complex.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 2, 2021 • 46min
Fossil Hunting in English
Our language contains a trove of buried clues, petrified remnants of its past. But you have to know where to dig.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 19, 2021 • 57min
Why Do Languages Have Gender?
Lots of languages divide words into categories, like male and female. How does that happen?Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 5, 2021 • 59min
Forgetting Your Roots
Words have a way of rebelling against their etymological parents, acquiring meanings of their own.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Lexicon Valley each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
