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Artwork for History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences

History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences

James McElvenny
Linguistics
Generative Grammar
Semiotics
Cold War
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Noam Chomsky
A History Of Modern Linguistics
Charles Sanders Peirce
Language Universals
Conversation Analysis
Ethno-Methodology
Structuralism
Language Learning
Semantics
Pragmatism
Politics
Piraha
Neo-Grammarians
Artificial Intelligence
History Of Linguistics

History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences explores the history of the study of language in its varied social and cultural contexts.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes63Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistoryPhilosophySociety & Culture

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Artwork for History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences

Latest Episodes

In this interview, we talk to Kristine Palmieri about comparativism in Germany of the early 19th century.

Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

Image credit: Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin

References for Episode 63

Primary Sources (s... more

In this interview, we talk to Peter Austin about his career in field linguistics and the history of language documentation in Australia, in particular how the role of Indigenous community members has changed over the past 50 years.

Preparing Diyari ... more

In this interview, we talk to Adam Schembri about the nature of sign languages, how they have been studied in the past, and how they are studied today.

Image: HamNoSys base hand shapes, from “HamNoSys – Representing Sign Language Data in Language

Re... more

In this interview, we talk to Penny Lee about her research into Whorf and linguistic relativity.

Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

Photo by Mike Clarke.

Note: On reviewing the recording, Penny Lee noticed a slip of the tongue in her re... more

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Recent Guests

Peter Austin
Emeritus Professor of Field Linguistics
SOAS, University of London
Episode: Podcast episode 62: Peter Austin
Adam Schembri
Professor of Linguistics at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
Episode: Podcast episode 61: Adam Schembri on sign language linguistics
Penny Lee
Linguist, former lecturer at University of Western Australia in educational linguistics
University of Western Australia
Episode: Podcast episode 60: Penny Lee
Anna Wierzbicka
Linguist and semanticist known for NSM and cross-linguistic semantics
Australian National University
Episode: Podcast episode 59: Anna Wierzbicka
Ryan Nefdt
Professor of philosophy at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Episode: Podcast episode 58: Ryan Nefdt on linguistic relativity and AI
Brigitte Nerlich
Scholar in the history of semantics and pragmatics; interdisciplinary researcher
Episode: Podcast episode 57: Brigitte Nerlich
Nick Enfield
Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
Episode: Podcast episode 56: Nick Enfield on linguistic signs and concepts
Janette Friedrich
Philosophy and history of human sciences scholar
Episode: Podcast episode 55: Janette Friedrich
Neil Cohn
Professor of Cognitive Science, University of Tilburg; author of multimodal language theory
Tilburg University
Episode: Podcast episode 54: Neil Cohn on Speaking in Pictures

Hosts

James McElvenny
Host with focus on history and philosophy of language sciences; affiliated with History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences.
James McIlvanny
Host involved in historical linguistics discussions and language science history.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 77 ratings
  • Great podcast on the history of the language sciences

    Superb podcast covering mostly academic linguistics and connections to philosophy.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JJRev
    Australia4 years ago
  • Great linguistic podcast

    Tells the modern, mainly academic, history of linguistics from a theoretical viewpoint, precisely articulated and clear, hope it continues.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Pmv10001
    United States6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Great depth and rigor in exploring linguistic history and philosophy.
Strong emphasis on archival and historical context.
Academic-focused, with clear, thoughtful discussions.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#234
France/History
Apple Podcasts
#192
South Korea/History
Apple Podcasts
#203
Saudi Arabia/History
Apple Podcasts
#231
India/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Podcast episode 61: Adam Schembri on sign language linguistics
Q: So can we just talk about the morphology? How does that work?
Morphology in sign languages involves modifying signs to indicate subject and object arguments, with certain signs acting as indicating verbs that convey argument structure and agreement, similar in function to verbal agreement in spoken languages.
Podcast episode 54: Neil Cohn on Speaking in Pictures
Q: So, Neil, could you outline your theory for us? What are the links between visual art and language?
Cohn explains that humans express concepts through three primary modalities—speech, gesture, and graphics—and that these share cognitive building blocks. He argues for a multimodal language faculty where graphics are not simply a metaphorical mapping to language but a legitimate, structurally similar system with its own grammar and semantics. He introduces the ideas of omnia, semia, and sequentia to classify modalities based on expression, grammar, and meaning, concluding that all three modalities are part of one overarching cognitive architecture.
Podcast episode 51: Martin Haspelmath
Q: Okay. So what exactly is the tension between description and comparison?
The tension arises because descriptive categories used by field linguists to describe a language can differ from the comparative categories used in cross-language analysis, leading to debates on how to bridge these approaches.
Podcast episode 51: Martin Haspelmath
Q: So what is typology, then?
Typology is about comparing languages that are not necessarily related to identify patterns and potential universal generalizations, expanding beyond European languages to a global perspective.
Podcast episode 51: Martin Haspelmath
Q: So my first question to you is, can you tell us how you got into linguistics?
He describes an early fascination with languages, heritage languages, and polyglot interests that guided him toward historical linguistics before transitioning into typology and universal patterns.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Listeners are likely people who enjoy the history and theory of language sciences, with a strong emphasis on linguistics, philosophy of language, and the social/historical contexts of scholarly work. Episodes feature long-form conversations with leading scholars about careers, historical debates, methodological shifts, and the intersection of linguistics with culture, science communication, and education. The show often highlights archival research, typology, semantics, and the evolution of linguistic ideas, making it useful for researchers, educators, and policy-minded listeners who appreciate deep intellectual discussions and historical perspective. A standout trait is the collection of high-profile guests from academia who offer rigorous... more

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this podcast launched 7 years ago and published 63 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Peter Austin
2. Adam Schembri
3. Penny Lee
4. Anna Wierzbicka
5. Ryan Nefdt
6. Brigitte Nerlich
7. Nick Enfield
8. Janette Friedrich

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