Welcome to Words Do Things: a podcast about the powers and limits of language. I’m Dr. Sorina Higgins, and I’m interested in the ways words make things happen. I’m fascinated and sometimes terrified by what we can do to other people simply by speaking or writing certain sounds or symbols. In this introductory episode, I show how some statements perform the actions they describe and discuss the physical nature of words. I express my concern regarding the upsurge of hateful public rhetoric in the United States and introduce my first two series: 1. reruns of my old podcast 1916 & 1776; 2. "Bad Words," about public speech.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.