Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.

How do large language models (LLMs) do their thing, and it is anything like how we do our thing? What can we learn about human language from this software? The answer might involve constructions — pairings of form and meaning that we use to make language. And here to discuss it with us is constructionist pioneer and linguistic legend, Professor Adele Goldberg.

Timestamps

• Intros: 1:14
• News: 7:13
• Related or Not: 34:18
• Interview ...

Gesture is everywhere. We wave our hands when we talk, even if we're alone. Signed languages are, of course, full languages that use gesture. And it could even be argued that emoji are the online equivalent of gesture. It's inescapable. And why would we want to do without it, when it's so useful? So we're talking about gesture and language with Dr Lauren Gawne, author of Gesture: A Slim Guide.

Our chat with Lauren is available on v...

It's Eurovision season! We love to talk about what we can learn about language from this international song contest, but even we didn't realise that there was so much to learn. Language choice, language policy, language and gender and metaphor — and all of this has been packed into a unit at Umeå University: Linguistics and the Eurovision Song Contest. Paulette van der Voet and Solveig Bollig are heading up the course, and they're ...

Artificial intelligence (so-called) is typified by its boom and bust cycles, and we're in a boom now. But as more and more money pours in with decreasing returns, we're going to see a shakeout, and hype is rushing in to stoke the enthusiasm. In other words, the con is on.

Dr Emily M. Bender and Dr Alex Hanna are co-hosts of the podcast Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, and the authors of The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Cre...

Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/wxGeXMzlwng

If you repeat something twice, how many times did you do it? Can more than one dinner be "the perfect dinner"? And what does "every other" mean?

We are once again fixing English, in a live episode in which we pile all our friends into a room and vote on vexing semantic questions. These results are binding on English-speakers throughout time and space, because that's how la...

Spelling reform in English: a constant failure? Or a secret success? Waves upon waves of optimists have tried to make English spelling reflect its sound and escape its etymological origins, but have never seen their vision fully realised. Author Gabe Henry has chronicled the attempts, and he joins us on this episode. 

Gabe is the author of Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell, available from Dey Stree...

First words and last words get a lot of attention. But how did words get to have such a place of prominence? What would we see if we focused on interaction instead? A new book looks at words, gestures, and silence at the beginning and end of life. Daniel has a chat with the author of Bye Bye I Love You, Dr Michael Erard.

Timestamps

• Cold open: 0:00
• Intros: 1:05
• News: 6:59
• Related or Not: 35;54
• Interview with Michael Erard: 47:5...

It's our Words of the Year episode, where we do a vibe check on all the words and name one of them our Because Language Word of the Year. We're joined by Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty and a lot of friends and supporters. It's going to be weird. It's going to be brat. You know we're going to eat that.

Timestamps

• Cold open: 0:00
• Intros: 0:54
• All the words from everywhere: 10:58
• Related or Not: 43:28
• Words from Mignon and James: 58...

Minority languages are under threat everywhere, but Tibet represents a particularly difficult challenge. The Tibetan language family is under pressure from (no surprise) Mandarin, even as community support for Tibetan remains high. But where does that leave the many other minority languages of the area, like Manegacha? Language policy, community pressure, and individual language choice are coming together in a turbulent mix. Is the...

We're joined for the first time by Douglas Harper, proprietor of the world-renowned Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com). He's here to help us with our Mailbag questions, and even test us in a game of Related or Not.

In our Mailbag this time:

• What's the difference between DEPENDENCE and DEPENDENCY?
• Why is TONGUE spelled that way?
• What does it mean if reciting a tongue twister in your mind is just as hard as saying it o...

Language is a lot like love. You can enjoyably lose yourself in both. They can both be dangerous. And they both entail a responsibility to keep each other safe. A new book Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love is both a language book and a memoir, connecting the strands of language learning, language love, and language loss. Daniel speaks with author Dr Julie Sedivy.

Also: Large language models have proven adept at duplicating patte...

For our 500th episode, we got together with our great listeners for their words, stories, and inspiration. It's a look back at the show, a look at language from our friends' point of view, and a celebration of our great community. Dr Kelly Wright joins us.

Big thanks to our friends who joined us, and to everyone who's listened over the years.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/Xc0S_O4KrhY

Timestamps

Cold open: 0:00
Intros: 1:17
...

Can you hear them? Only if you're meant to. Political dogwhistles exploit lack of knowledge in one group to send a coded message to another group. But that's just the beginning. How are dogwhistles different from slurs? How do they licence behaviour? Do progressives dogwhistle? Dr Elin McCready is the author of Signaling Without Saying: The Semantics and Pragmatics of Dogwhistles.

We're also joined by Lizzy Hanks and Dr Jesse Egber...

There are lots of Englishes out there, but the way we approach varieties of English sets learners up to fail. How do we combat language ideologies out there in the world — and in our own minds? Dr Ruanni Tupas is the editor of an important new book: Investigating Unequal Englishes: Understanding, Researching and Analysing Inequalities of the Englishes of the World.

We're joined by our special guest host Dr Nicole Holliday, and we a...

What do signed languages have in common? How do oral languages influence signed languages? How do they influence each other? Here to answer these questions and many more, it's Dr Adam Schembri of the University of Birmingham.

You can watch our chat with Adam Schembri on video, with Christy Filipich doing Auslan interpretation.

That video is here:
https://youtu.be/GcV0218VJ2k

Also joining us as a special guest: Dr Mark Ellison.

Time...

Noam Chomsky is one of the world's foremost thinkers, and his impact on linguistics is incalculable. Yet many people are only familiar with his political activism. What are his linguistic ideas, and why have they been so tenacious? 

To answer that question, Daniel had a delightful chat with generative syntactician and Chomsky fan Katie Martin.

We're honoured to have a chat with linguist and Uyghur language activist Abduweli Ayup, r...

A hundred episodes already? To celebrate, we’re doing our favourite kind of episode: a Mailbag.

• Why is it a BLOW JOB when there’s no blowing? Why JOB? And why is OFF often used in sexual expressions?
• Why do we say NO SIRREE? Is there an equivalent expression for women?
• Why does English have rare TH sounds like /θ/ and /ð/? Why doesn’t everyone?
• HIS’N — is it related to IF’N?

Timestamps

• Intros: 1:00
• Questions (sexual...