Slate Debates

Latest Episodes:

Man on the Street Oct 06, 2014

Show notes

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.

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LinguaFile III | Orange Sep 22, 2014

Show notes

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley.

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Demonstratively Speaking Sep 08, 2014

Show notes

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss Sarah Palin's use of demonstrative pronouns. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley.

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LinguaFile II | Lagniappe Aug 25, 2014

Show notes

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley.

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The Manic Pixie and the Magical Negro Aug 11, 2014

Show notes

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.

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LinguaFile I | Discombobulate Jul 28, 2014

Show notes

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.

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Lexicon Valley No. 38: Fisherman's Whorf Jul 14, 2014

Show notes

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.

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Lexicon Valley No. 37: Legislating Language Mar 10, 2014

Show notes

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss four legal cases in which the dictionary played a crucial part.

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Lexicon Valley No. 36: The Dude Abides Jan 27, 2014

Show notes

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the early history of the word "dude." Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley.

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Lexicon Valley No. 35: Learning to Say No Dec 23, 2013

Show notes

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the many meanings of a child's "no." Show notes at www.slate.com/lexiconvalley.