Slate Debates - podcast cover

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

LinguaFile XIII | Bozo

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Email: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 29, 201527 min

The Pollyanna Hypothesis

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss what it means that language has a "positivity bias." This week's episode is sponsored by Blue Apron, the new service that delivers all the ingredients you need to make incredible meals at home. Discover a better way to cook. Visit BlueApron.com/lexicon to get your first two meals free. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Face...

Jun 17, 201549 min

LinguaFile XII | Kibitz

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. This week's episode is sponsored by The Great Courses and its series "Language A to Z." Order it at 80% off the original price by visiting thegreatcourses.com/lexicon. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Email: [email protected]...

Jun 01, 201540 min

M'athchomaroon, Zhey Lajak Vezhven!

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to conlanger David J. Peterson about the art and craft of creating languages for Game of Thrones. This week's episode is sponsored by The Great Courses and its series "Language A to Z." Order it at 80% off the original price by visiting thegreatcourses.com/lexicon. And by Blue Apron, the new service that delivers all the ingredients you need to make incredible meals at home. Discover a better way to cook. Visit BlueApron.com/lexicon to get your first two meals fr...

May 18, 201544 min

LinguaFile XI | Seersucker

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the origin of the word "seersucker" with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. This week's episode is sponsored by The Great Courses and its series "Language A to Z." Order it at 80% off the original price by visiting thegreatcourses.com/lexicon. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Email: lexiconvalle...

May 04, 201535 min

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo don't know nuthin' about the double negative. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Email: [email protected] This week's episode is sponsored by The Great Courses and its series "Language A to Z." Order it at 80% off the original price by visiting thegreatcourses.com/lexicon. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Learn more about ...

Apr 20, 201540 min

LinguaFile X | Pumpernickel

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the origin of the word "pumpernickel" with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Email: [email protected] This week's episode is sponsored by The Great Courses and its series "The Story of Human Language." Order it at 80% off the original price by visiting thegreatcourses.com/lexicon. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at ww...

Apr 06, 201538 min

And Infinitum

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss whether "try and" is an acceptable substitute for "try to." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 23, 201539 min

LinguaFile IX | Carnival

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the origin of the word "carnival" with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 09, 201529 min

Sex Workers

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the authoress, the usherette, and the editrix with Anne Curzan, the lady professor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 23, 201535 min

LinguaFile VIII | Quiz

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 09, 201527 min

The Many Lives of Anna Karenina

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to journalist and author Masha Gessen about translating Tolstoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 26, 201539 min

LinguaFile VII | Cockamamie

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 12, 201534 min

Exposure to Vape Culture

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo are joined by Peter Sokolowski of Merriam-Webster, Katherine Martin of Oxford University Press, Jane Solomon of Dictionary.com, and Erin McKean of Wordnik.com to discuss their respective Words of the Year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 29, 201451 min

LinguaFile VI | Grog

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 15, 201428 min

What Does It Mean to Sound Gay?

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to speech scientist Benjamin Munson about the "gay voice." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 01, 201439 min

LinguaFile V | Get One's Goat

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 17, 201436 min

Number Theory

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo ask the question: How did we go from "four and twenty" to "twenty four"? Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 03, 201430 min

LinguaFile IV | Snark

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 20, 201444 min

Man on the Street

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to Jonathon Green, author of The Vulgar Tongue and Green's Dictionary of Slang, a 6,000-page, three-volume reference more than 20 years in the making. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 06, 201441 min

LinguaFile III | Orange

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 22, 201431 min

Demonstratively Speaking

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss Sarah Palin's use of demonstrative pronouns. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 08, 201433 min

LinguaFile II | Lagniappe

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 25, 201426 min

The Manic Pixie and the Magical Negro

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to arts critic Nathan Rabin and journalist Christopher John Farley about the phrases they coined to identify two of Hollywood's most pernicious tropes. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 11, 201433 min

LinguaFile I | Discombobulate

Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss a mystery word or phrase with Vocabulary.com executive producer Ben Zimmer. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Follow @lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 28, 201421 min

Lexicon Valley No. 38: Fisherman's Whorf

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to Columbia University professor John McWhorter about his new book, The Language Hoax. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 14, 201437 min

Lexicon Valley No. 37: Legislating Language

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss four legal cases in which the dictionary played a crucial part. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 10, 201434 min

Lexicon Valley No. 36: The Dude Abides

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the early history of the word "dude." Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 27, 201438 min

Lexicon Valley No. 35: Learning to Say No

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the many meanings of a child's "no." Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 23, 201328 min

Lexicon Valley No. 34: Ask Not Who Wrote "Ask Not"

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss JFK's Inaugural Address with Richard Tofel, author of Sounding the Trumpet. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 16, 201332 min