
87: Trans-Inclusive (with Andrew Perfors)
About this episode
What is a woman? Or a man? Or a chair, or a sandwich? Or anything, really?
"Gender critical" people are making language into a vector to attack the rights of trans people. They treat categories like man and woman as binary and obvious.
But cognitive linguistics has a response, in the form of a new paper in Nature Human Behaviour. Are categories concrete, or are they mental, social, or something else? How do we categorise objects at all? Author Dr Andrew Perfors brings the science on this episode.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language. publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.

137: Are Trees Real? (with Yngwie Nielsen and Morten Christiansen)
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.

136: These Languages Are Anchors (with Mary Walworth)
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.

135: Linguistic Illusions (with Dan Parker)
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.

134: True Colour (with Kory Stamper)
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.