Slate Debates

By Slate PodcastsSociety & Culture News

Slate Debates episodes

March 21, 2017 Earlier American English—More Profane, Parochial and Provincial
John McWhorter time travels to 1930 and eavesdrops on American English.
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33 min
February 07, 2017 Like, Why Do We Use Like So Much?
John McWhorter talks to sociolinguist Alexandra D'Arcy about the spike in our use of like.

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36 min
January 24, 2017 What Had Happened Was Storytelling
John McWhorter discusses the subject of his new book, Talking Back, Talking Black: Truths About America's Lingua Franca.
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34 min
January 10, 2017 Why We Stopped Teaching Children How to Read
Mark Seidenberg, author of Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It, discusses the fallout from the so-called reading wars.
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34 min
December 27, 2016 Away in a Penthouse, the Little Lord Jesus
When hath gave way to has, the original meaning of merry, and other insights from popular Christmas carols.
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29 min
December 13, 2016 What "The Wizard of Oz" Can Tell Us About "Arrival"
In Arrival, Amy Adams plays a linguist who discovers that language can radically alter one's perception of reality. But is that true?

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31 min
November 29, 2016 Black Like Us
Are the slang, sounds, and syntax of Black English a kind of lingua franca for America's youth?

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37 min
November 15, 2016 Language Lessons of Past Presidents
What can we learn about English from Bill Clinton, the two Bushes, and other leaders of the free world?

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33 min
November 01, 2016 Whither Didst Thou Go?
How our rich and complex system of second person pronouns got whittled down to just "you."

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37 min
October 18, 2016 Why Do People Talk Like That in Old Movies?
What Bette Davis, FDR, and Ralph Kramden have in common when it comes to speech.
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35 min

About Slate Debates

From the publisher's feed

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…