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

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

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes62Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistoryPhilosophySociety & Culture

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Artwork for History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences

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Recent Guests

Penny Lee
Linguist, former lecturer at University of Western Australia in educational linguistics
University of Western Australia
Episode: Podcast episode 60: Penny Lee
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
Paul Kiparsky
Professor at Stanford University; expert on Panini
Stanford University
Episode: Podcast episode 53: Paul Kiparsky on Pāṇini
Gereon Müller
Author of Lanes to Language
Leipzig University
Episode: Podcast episode 52: Gereon Müller on Lanes to Language
Martin Haspelmath
Linguist, Max Planck Institute; leading typologist
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Episode: Podcast episode 51: Martin Haspelmath

Host

James McElvenny
Host of History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences podcast.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 74 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 for guests who want to discuss long-term historical perspectives in linguistics and science studies.
Thoughtful, archival-rich discussions that connect linguistics and philosophy without slipping into the sensational.
Conveys complex ideas with accessible storytelling for academics and students.
Insightful, rigorous history of linguistics with clear scholarly depth.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
Podcast episode 55: Janette Friedrich
Q: Und wie bist du nach Frankreich gekommen?
Nach der Wende erhielt sie ein temporäres Forschungsstipendium von der französischen Regierung; Pierre Bourdieu unterstützte sie, und sie verbrachte ein Jahr in Paris, wo sie in seine Forschungsgruppe aufgenommen wurde und französisch lernte.

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A historically rooted exploration of language from both linguistic and philosophical angles, this show delves into the development of language science, its key thinkers, and the cultural contexts that shaped theories from structuralism to typology. Episodes feature in-depth biographical conversations with scholars and historians who trace how ideas about language, thought, and society evolved, often weaving archival research, personal narratives, and cross-disciplinary perspectives. Notable strengths include rigorous historical framing, diverse guest expertise, and creative presentation choices (e.g., bike-tour histories and archival journeys) that illuminate complex concepts for both students and professionals in linguistics, philosophy, a... more

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this podcast launched 6 years ago and published 62 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. Penny Lee
2. Ryan Nefdt
3. Brigitte Nerlich
4. Nick Enfield
5. Janette Friedrich
6. Neil Cohn
7. Paul Kiparsky
8. Gereon Müller

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