Language is a lot like love. You can enjoyably lose yourself in both. They can both be dangerous. And they both entail a responsibility to…
For our 500th episode, we got together with our great listeners for their words, stories, and inspiration. It’s a look back at the show, a…
Can you hear them? Only if you’re meant to. Political dogwhistles exploit lack of knowledge in one group to send a coded message to another…
Noam Chomsky is one of the world’s foremost thinkers, and his impact on linguistics is incalculable. Yet many people are only familiar with his political…
A hundred episodes already? To celebrate, we’re doing our favourite kind of episode: a Mailbag. Timestamps Intros: 1:00Questions (sexual): 8:46Questions (non-sexual): 26:24Related or Not: 42:12More…
What’s the difference between a KINK and a FETISH? Does it matter if you ASSUME or PRESUME? English is full of these close groups of…
New York City is home to a lot of languages! Sometimes a sizeable language community can live on just a couple of floors of an…
Language authorities. Right-wing politicians. White supremacists and feminists. What do they have in common? They’re all working together to fight gender-inclusive language. But why bring…
In honour of Grammar Day (4 March), we are joined live by special guest Ellen Jovin, who regularly dispenses grammar advice and wisdom from the…
What are your eyes doing when you describe a scene? It may depend on your language. New research from Dr Rachel Nordlinger and team shows…