95 episodes

A podcast about linguistics, the science of language.

Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language‪.‬ Daniel Midgley, Ben Ainslie, and Hedvig Skirgård

    • Science

A podcast about linguistics, the science of language.

    99: Gender in Germany (with Rob Tegethoff and Ciarán from Corner Späti)

    99: Gender in Germany (with Rob Tegethoff and Ciarán from Corner Späti)

    What's going on in Germany? How are people talking about gender in the German language, and how is freedom of expression being handled? We have a couple of German experts — linguist Rob Tegethoff and Ciarán of the podcast Corner Späti — to tell us why other languages were banned at protests in Berlin, and what right-wing activists get from involving language in their plans. 
    Timestamps
    Intros: 0:34
    News: 5:16
    Related or Not: 26:29
    Interview with Rob and Ciarán: 44:37
    Words of the Week: 1:46:42
    The Reads: 2:02:50
    Outtakes: 2:06:23

    • 2 hrs 8 min
    98: Origin Uncertain (with Anatoly Liberman)

    98: Origin Uncertain (with Anatoly Liberman)

    How much can we really know about the words we use? What are the facts behind some of the most tangled etymologies in English? And is our "Related or Not" game a good way of approaching word history?
    We're talking to Dr Anatoly Liberman, perhaps the world's preëminent living etymologist and the author of Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology.

    • 1 hr 43 min
    97: The Dictionary of Fine Distinctions (with Eli Burnstein)

    97: The Dictionary of Fine Distinctions (with Eli Burnstein)

    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 words, and author Eli Burnstein has untangled many of them in his delightful book The Dictionary of Fine Distinctions. Eli joins us for this episode.
    Timestamps
    Intros: 0:42
    News: 9:54
    Related or Not: 24:11
    Interview with Eli Burnstein: 37:33
    Words of the Week: 1:10:13
    The Reads: 1:33:45

    • 1 hr 38 min
    96: Language City (with Ross Perlin)

    96: Language City (with Ross Perlin)

    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 apartment building. Dr Ross Perlin is working to find and promote minority languages in NYC. He's the co-founder of the Endangered Language Alliance, and author of Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York. Ross joins us for this episode.
    Intro: 0:36
    News: 8:13
    Related or Not: 32:52
    Interview with Ross Perlin: 43:12
    Words of the Week: 1:24:13
    The Reads: 1:39:54
    Show notes: http://becauselanguage.com/96-language-city/
    Support the show: http://patreon.com/join/becauselangpod/

    • 1 hr 45 min
    95: Why the Far-Right Demagogues Language (with Caitlin Green and Maureen Kosse)

    95: Why the Far-Right Demagogues Language (with Caitlin Green and Maureen Kosse)

    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 language into this fight? What extra does this give them?
    Dr Caitlin Green and Maureen Kosse join us to explain on this big episode.

    • 1 hr 44 min
    93: Stop! Grammar Time (live with Ellen Jovin and friends)

    93: Stop! Grammar Time (live with Ellen Jovin and friends)

    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 Grammar Table. Now she's testing our grammatical mettle and answering our questions. 
    YouTube video of this episode:
    https://youtu.be/C1l8Alk3Ptc?si=7pnGnuKcy9YY-mhR

    • 1 hr 28 min

Top Podcasts In Science

Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Reinvent Yourself with Dr. Tara
Dr. Tara Swart Bieber
Radiolab
WNYC Studios
StarTalk Radio
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Stanford Psychology Podcast
Stanford Psychology
NASA's Curious Universe
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

You Might Also Like

Lingthusiasm - A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics
Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne
The Allusionist
Helen Zaltzman
Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios
Lexicon Valley
Slate Debates
Slate Podcasts
The History of English Podcast
Kevin Stroud
99% Invisible
Roman Mars