Minority languages are under threat everywhere, but Tibet represents a particularly difficult challenge. The Tibetan language family is under pressure from (no surprise) Mandarin, even…
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…