On this episode we learn about the history of the exclamation point, the question mark, and the semicolon (among many other aspects of language) with Florence Hazrat, a scholar of punctuation, who, to my great surprise, informed that while a lot of language is the result of a slow evolution, a gradual ever-changing process, punctuation in the English languag ... Show More
Today
327 - The Trolley Solution - Joshua Greene
<p>Philosopher, neuroscientist, and psychologist, Joshua Greene tells us how the brain generates morality and how his research may have solved the infamous trolley problem, and in so doing created a way to encourage people to contribute to charities that do the most good, and, in ... Show More
1h 19m
Nov 10
326 - The Origin of Language - Madeleine Beekman
<p>We sit down with Dr. Madeleine Beekman, a professor emerita of evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology at the University of Sydney, Australia, whose new book, The Origin of Language, presents a completely new and fascinating theory for how language emerged in homo sapiens, ... Show More
46m 11s
Jan 2024
The psychology (and language) of time. Commas are like people on the subway. Fox chores.
<p>962. We explore why phrases like "time flies" and "fast approaching" reveal deeper perspectives on time — is it us moving or the event? Plus, you may think you know how to use commas, but just like people, they can be more complex than they appear at first glance.</p><p>The "t ... Show More
15m 39s
Mar 2021
54: How linguists figure out the grammar of a language
If you go to the linguistics section of a big library, you may find some shelves containing thick, dusty grammars of various languages. But grammars, like dictionaries, don’t just appear out of nowhere -- they’re made by people, and those people bring their own interests and prio ... Show More
41m 16s
Feb 2019
#078 Cause and Effect in English (Because, As, Due to, As a result)
<p><span class="s2"><span class="s1"><span style= "font-size: 14pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">>> Get my new course: The</span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces= "true"> </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href= "https://pronunciationcourse.com" target="_blank" rel= "noop ... Show More
11m 38s
Jul 2024
Timothy Grieve-Carlson, "American Aurora: Environment and Apocalypse in the Life of Johannes Kelpius" (Oxford UP, 2024)
American Aurora: Environment and Apocalypse in the Life of Johannes Kelpius (Oxford UP, 2024) explores the impact of climate change on early modern radical religious groups during the height of the Little Ice Age in the seventeenth century. Focusing on the life and legacy of Joha ... Show More
1h 5m