Valerie Fridland (Like, Literally, Dude) is a professor, sociolinguist, and author. Valerie joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why people dislike the word "moist" so much, how accents are a part of social identity, and where modern English developed from. Valerie and Dax talk about what language prescriptivism is, the issues people have with the use of "li ... Show More
Nov 19
Andrew Ross Sorkin (on stock market crashes)
<p>Andrew Ross Sorkin (1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History) is a financial columnist, TV anchor, and author. Andrew joins the Armchair Expert to discuss a kid telling him when he was young that god drew him wrong, actually working with Aaron Sorkin ... Show More
1h 47m
Apr 2023
Valerie Fridland: English evolves, like it or not
<p>Annoyed by all those <i>likes</i> and <i>so’s</i> and <i>you knows</i>, not mention ahs and ums? In her delightfully titled book <i>Like, Literally, Dude</i>, Valerie Fridland argues that we should stop grumping about language tics and recognize that they are inevitable – and ... Show More
42m 16s
Jul 2024
The power of words: Conscious language, with Karen Yin
<p>1004. This week, Karen Yin, author of "The Conscious Style Guide," discusses the concept of conscious language and its importance in promoting equity and respect. We explore the differences between conscious language and political correctness, the evolution of the singular "th ... Show More
42m 8s
Aug 2022
John McWhorter Describes Human Language's 20,000-Year Journey from Proto-Sumerian to Ebonics
Language not only defines humans as a species, placing us head and shoulders above even the most proficient animal communicators, but it also beguiles us with its endless mysteries. How did different languages come to be? Why isn't there just a single language? How does a languag ... Show More
54m 6s
Nov 2024
Bonus episode: on connection
<p>What role does language play in uniting us across borders and cultures? In this mini episode of <em>Our World, Connected</em>, Christine Wilson, Director of Research and Insight at the British Council, explores connection through language, examining how it serves as a vital to ... Show More
14m 47s
Sep 2021
Emily M. Bender — Language Models and Linguistics
In this episode, Emily and Lukas dive into the problems with bigger and bigger language models, the difference between form and meaning, the limits of benchmarks, and why it's important to name the languages we study.Show notes (links to papers and transcript): http://wandb.me/gd ... Show More
1h 12m
Mar 2025
Pourquoi la prosodie est-elle essentielle pour comprendre une phrase ?
<p>La prosodie désigne l’ensemble des caractéristiques sonores qui accompagnent la parole et influencent la manière dont un message est perçu. Elle englobe l’intonation, le rythme, l’accentuation, la mélodie et la durée des sons dans un énoncé.</p><br><p>Les éléments de la prosod ... Show More
2m 6s