A podcast about linguistics, the science of language.
How do large language models (LLMs) do their thing, and it is anything like how we do our thing? Wha
Gesture is everywhere. We wave our hands when we talk, even if we're alone. Signed languages are, of
It's Eurovision season! We love to talk about what we can learn about language from this internation
Artificial intelligence (so-called) is typified by its boom and bust cycles, and we're in a boom now
Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/wxGeXMzlwng If you repeat something twice, how many
Spelling reform in English: a constant failure? Or a secret success? Waves upon waves of optimists h
First words and last words get a lot of attention. But how did words get to have such a place of pro
Breaking news: The president of the United States intends to sign an executive order designating Eng
What really goes on behind the scenes at the biggest Word of the Year vote in linguistdom? Are we re
It's our Words of the Year episode, where we do a vibe check on all the words and name one of them o
Minority languages are under threat everywhere, but Tibet represents a particularly difficult challe
We're joined for the first time by Douglas Harper, proprietor of the world-renowned Online Etymology
Language is a lot like love. You can enjoyably lose yourself in both. They can both be dangerous. An
For our 500th episode, we got together with our great listeners for their words, stories, and inspir
Can you hear them? Only if you're meant to. Political dogwhistles exploit lack of knowledge in one g
There are lots of Englishes out there, but the way we approach varieties of English sets learners up
What do signed languages have in common? How do oral languages influence signed languages? How do th
Noam Chomsky is one of the world's foremost thinkers, and his impact on linguistics is incalculable.
A hundred episodes already? To celebrate, we’re doing our favourite kind of episode: a Mailbag. Why
What's going on in Germany? How are people talking about gender in the German language, and how is f
