Shows
BelongCreate Connections Through Storytelling and Inclusivity, with Daniel Midgley, Because LanguageJoin us on Belong as we chat with Daniel Midgley, linguist, author, science communicator, and host of the Because Language podcast. In this episode, Daniel shares his expertise on creating an inclusive and thriving podcast community. We discuss the importance of diverse guests, minimizing jargon, and using inclusive language to foster a sense of belonging. Daniel highlights the value of interactive components, storytelling, and community contributions, drawing from his experiences with both radio and podcasting. Learn about effective use of platforms like Discord, challenges of transitioning to an independent podcast, and the significance of respect, creativity, and adaptability in...2024-10-2334 min
Talk the Talk361: Helping My Language Live - Language Activism (with Margaret Florey)Imagine watching your language erode away. How would you help it to stay alive? What can one person do in the face of language loss? There's good news: lots of people are taking up the challenge and becoming language activists. Margaret Florey has worked in language activism for decades, and she gives Daniel Midgley some concrete ideas for language documentation and revitalisation that anyone can do. It's on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-05-0156 min
Talk the Talk302: Creoles 1 (featuring Damian Blasi)How do creole languages arise? A controversial new paper is rocking the linguistic world. Are creole languages different from other languages? How do they start? And what does this all mean about the human language ability? Daniel Midgley speaks with author Damian Blasi on this episode of Talk the Talk.2017-09-2645 min
Talk the Talk294: Trademarks and Slurs (featuring Simon Tam)Freedom of expression is again in the news. Simon Tam has won his case before the US Supreme Court, allowing him to trademark the name of his all-Asian rock band, the Slants. But this ruling opens the door to people who want to trademark other offensive names — or hold on to existing ones. Is that okay? How do we distinguish between reclamation and vilification? Linguist Daniel Midgley talks it over with Simon Tam on this episode of Talk the Talk.2017-07-2543 min
Talk the Talk274: Linguistic Activism (featuring Christine Mallinson)How can you make a difference to language? Linguists are doing a lot of great work, but what if you're not a linguist? Is there anything that you can do to make the world a better place for language and the people who use it? Daniel Midgley has some ideas, and he chats with linguist Christine Mallinson on this episode of Talk the Talk.2017-02-0747 min
Talk the Talk269: Mailbag EpisodeYou asked. We answer. Why do we talk the way we do? Where do our words and phrases come from? And why are they sometimes so very strange? Linguist Daniel Midgley has something for everyone on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-11-1541 minTalk the Talk268: Dialect (featuring Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalioglu)Are dying languages worth saving? That's the concept of a new game that allows players to explore language creation, language community, and language death, all in the course of an evening. Heavy concepts. How does it work? Linguist Daniel Midgley talks to the game's creators, Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalioglu, on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-11-0845 minTalk the Talk263: We Manterrupt This BroadcastAre you constantly getting interrupted… or manterrupted? Well, you're in good company. After the first Trump/Clinton debate, we couldn't help but notice a certain man continually talking over a certain woman. So for this episode, we're talking language and men and women, and we're going find out who talks more, once and for all. Linguist Daniel Midgley explains — but doesn't mansplain — on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-10-0442 minTalk the Talk262: Universal GrammarWhy do all human languages resemble each other? And how do children learn language so fast? For many linguists, the answer is Universal Grammar. It's one of the biggest ideas in linguistics, but now it might possibly be coming unstuck. What is it, and what does its acceptance or rejection mean for modern linguistics? Linguist Daniel Midgley has something for everyone on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-09-2744 minTalk the Talk261: Red Big Balloon (featuring Damián Blasi)We love red big balloons — or are they big red balloons? There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it, you know. But how do we know what the right way is? And what else does your brain know that you don’t know it knows? Linguist Daniel Midgley blows your mind on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-09-2055 minTalk the Talk257: Alien LanguagesWhat would an alien language be like? The new trailer for the film Arrival has got us pretty excited, and there's even a whole field of study called xenolinguistics. How will we know what to say when we make contact? Linguist Daniel Midgley explores the final frontier on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-08-2340 minTalk the Talk256: NumbersOne, two, three… Sounds simple, doesn't it? And yet different languages express numbers in very different ways. How are they handled in our brains? And how did -illion get to be the suffix for truly astronomical sums? Linguist Daniel Midgley runs the numbers on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-08-0942 minTalk the Talk254: PlagiarismDid Melania Trump really plagiarise that speech? Yeah, she totally did. But how can you tell if someone is copying someone else's work? How do plagiarism checkers work? And can you beat them? Linguist Daniel Midgley shows his work on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-07-2645 minTalk the Talk253: Secret Professional Slang (featuring Dr Brian Goldman and Ji-Soo Kweon)Do you know what doctors are really saying? How about tech support people? Or butchers? They've all got their own jargon that they use to communicate amongst themselves — or to exclude. Linguist Daniel Midgley helps you crack the code on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-07-1944 minTalk the Talk252: The Tower of BabelIs there anything to the story of the Tower of Babel? It's a legend about why human languages are so different. So was there really only one human language a long time ago? Maybe — but how does this match up with the biblical account of the confounding of tongues? Linguist Daniel Midgley puts an end to the confusion on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-07-1239 minTalk the Talk251: Brexit Language FalloutSeems the UK is eyeing the exits on the EU, but what would a Brexit mean for language? Would language learning be affected? How about Britain's minority languages? And would the English language even be in the EU at all? Linguist Daniel Midgley is scoping out the implications on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-07-0543 minTalk the Talk249: Big Big MailbagIt's time to return to our mailbag and answer some questions. Is the translating earpiece a thing? Is thing a thing? What about New Zealand English? And is it sexist to say guys? Linguist Daniel Midgley finds out on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-06-0741 minTalk the Talk246: Yiddish (featuring Ben Zimmer)Do you know from Yiddish? A controversial new hypothesis has surfaced about its origins, but does it stand up to the data? And are you using Yiddish words without even knowing it? Daniel Midgley speaks with lexicographer Ben Zimmer on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-05-1740 minTalk the Talk245: Language Fact or Fiction?Ever read a language article, and felt something was a bit off? Does your keyboard layout affect how you feel about words? Is it true that people couldn't see the colour blue until modern times? How are you supposed to tell the difference between linguistic fact and fiction? Linguist Daniel Midgley gives you some pointers on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-05-1038 minTalk the Talk243: SynaesthesiaCan you hear colours? Or smell sounds? We're starting to understand synaesthesia — the blending of senses that some people experience. Now language researchers are using synaesthesia to understand how we process language, and even how language got started in the first place. Linguist Daniel Midgley finds the synaesthete in all of us on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-04-2642 minTalk the Talk241: Emoji DisastersWhat happens when emoji go wrong? We all love to use emoji, but their inherent ambiguity means that misunderstandings can happen — not only across cultures, but across devices. Linguist Daniel Midgley makes it clear on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-04-1238 minTalk the Talk240: Bite the Wax TadpoleBrand names can get lost in translation. When a company tries to market a product overseas, sometimes the result is international zany hijinks ahoy. But not all the stories are true — there are plenty of urban legends around. Who can separate the facts from the fiction? Linguist Daniel Midgley brings your ancestors back from the grave on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-04-0542 minTalk the Talk239: Animal SyntaxOther animals don’t have language like we do, but some of them might be getting awfully close. A recent experiment claims that some birds use a form of syntax — that they combine their signals in a way that’s always been thought to be unique to humans. Are these bird brains on to something? Linguist Daniel Midgley sets things in order on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-03-2942 minTalk the Talk238: Questions, QuestionsOur listeners have questions, and we have answers. Why do we say 'boo'? or 'a whole 'nother'? And our Latin-minded friends have a few questions, as well. Linguist Daniel Midgley answers them all on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-03-2243 minTalk the Talk236: Spelling ReformSometimes English spelling doesn't make much sense. But even though many influential people have tried to reform our wacky orthography, the anomalies persist. Will English spelling reform ever work? Linguist Daniel Midgley spells it out on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-03-0142 minTalk the Talk235: Worst Words (featuring Don Watson)Are our vocabularies shrinking? Is bureaucratic double-talk a sinister form of code designed to short-circuit original thought? Author Don Watson thinks so, and explains why in his latest book Worst Words. But how does this view stack up to language science? Don Watson goes head to head with linguist Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-02-2347 minTalk the Talk234: Disruptive Language TechWhat happens when computers can use language like humans can? Language workers may be out of a job. Translators, teachers, and others are watching with concern. But is there reason to think that we're on the verge of solving all the computational language problems? Or are some things just too hard for computers? Linguist Daniel Midgley gazes into the crystal ball on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-02-1636 minTalk the Talk232: Rabid LinguistsPeople are asking questions about language and gender equality. What’s Oxford Dictionaries doing about some of its questionable definitions? And linguists are wondering why Disney princesses don’t talk more. Linguist Daniel Midgley is listening on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-02-0237 minTalk the Talk231c: The Really Big Show, Part 3Talk the Talk returns in a big way for this Australia / Survival Day 2016. Linguist Daniel Midgley and smart people Ben Ainslie and Kylie Sturgess bring you three hours of language, interviews, and music on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-01-2635 minTalk the Talk231b: The Really Big Show, Part 2 (featuring Len Collard)Talk the Talk returns in a big way for this Australia / Survival Day 2016. Linguist Daniel Midgley and smart people Ben Ainslie and Kylie Sturgess bring you three hours of language, interviews, and music on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-01-2626 minTalk the Talk231a: The Really Big Show, Part 1 (featuring Alexis Dubus)Talk the Talk returns in a big way for this Australia / Survival Day 2016. Linguist Daniel Midgley and smart people Ben Ainslie and Kylie Sturgess bring you three hours of language, interviews, and music on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-01-2638 min
Talk the Talk228: LudlingsKids love to play, and that includes playing with language. These language games, or ludlings, are played by kids around the world, and they can be fun, or confusing, or just maddening to adults. But don't worry. Linguist Daniel Midgley makes it easy to understand on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-12-0154 minTalk the Talk227: Are Emoji Words?Can an emoji be a word? Oxford Dictionaries thinks so — they chose one as their Word of the Year. And this has language purists fuming. But what exactly is a word? Linguist Daniel Midgley explains on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-11-2457 minTalk the Talk226: Shakespeare in Translation (featuring Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Migdalia Cruz and Taylor Mac)The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has commissioned all Shakespeare's plays to be translated into contemporary English. But how does one go about updating the words of the Bard? Does this task belong to playwrights, or to linguists? Linguist Daniel Midgley speaks with playwrights Migdalia Cruz and Taylor Mac on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-11-171h 08Talk the Talk225: Shakespeare in Translation (featuring Lue Douthit)Shakespeare's plays have been with us for 400 years. Is it time for an update? The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has commissioned all the Bard's plays to be translated into contemporary English. How will this work? And what's the reaction? Oregon Shakespeare Festival director Lue Douthit talks to linguist Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-11-1057 minTalk the Talk224: Bad LinguisticsDid the Australian accent appear as a result of drunkenness? Is texting a sign of declining literacy? Is business jargon killing English? Of course not. It's rubbish. All of it. But when bad linguistics comes to town, few can resist its appeal. What are the facts behind these fables? Linguist Daniel Midgley is not here to make friends on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-11-0357 minTalk the Talk222: Brain, Body, BabyFor babies, learning language seems like child's play. But new research is showing us that there's a lot going on in there, with contributions from brain, body, and memory. How does it all work? Linguist Daniel Midgley bundles it all together on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-10-2058 minTalk the Talk221: Getting the Picture (featuring Matt Purver)A picture is worth a thousand words. But the task of figuring out what's going on in a picture has left computers speechless — until now. New language tech is making it happen. But what are the ethical issues connected with this kind of task? Computational linguist Matt Purver talks to Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-10-1357 minTalk the Talk220: Not So ArbitraryWhy do words appear the way they do? Why aren't words the same in every language? Sometimes it doesn't seem to make any sense. But new research shows that maybe language is not as arbitrary as it seems. Linguist Daniel Midgley makes sense of the chaos on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-10-0658 minTalk the Talk219: EggcornsHave you heard of eggcorns? They're off-quoted sayings that sometimes reel their ugly heads, and some might just leave you curled up in the feeble position. Are they wrong? That might be a bit of a mute point. But can you tell the difference between an eggcorn and the real thing? Linguist Daniel Midgley discusses them in one foul swoop on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-09-2959 minTalk the Talk218: The F-WordJust how far back in history does the F-word go? Further than we thought. A historian has discovered evidence that pushes the term back by hundreds of years. Meanwhile, researchers are finding which swears are most popular where. Linguist Daniel Midgley drops some bombs on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-09-2258 minTalk the Talk217: Homo naledi and LanguageThe human family got a new branch this week with the appearance of Homo naledi, a new species of human. But did they have language? And how can we tell from a lot of old bones? It's early yet, but linguist Daniel Midgley puts the pieces together on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-09-151h 00Talk the Talk216: The Cutting EdgeCan computers detect sarcasm? Predict betrayal? Spot a drunk text? Yes, all that and then some. A recent conference gave computational linguists a chance to show how sharp the cutting edge of language technology really is, and linguist Daniel Midgley reads the articles so you don't have to, for this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-09-0859 minTalk the Talk215: Is Cantonese Endangered?When we think of endangered languages, we tend to think of those with a small number of speakers in remote areas. We don't usually think of Cantonese. And yet this language with millions of speakers on multiple continents is facing some big changes, and linguists are sounding the alarms. Linguist Zoe Lam speaks with Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-09-0158 minTalk the Talk214: Whistled LanguagesHuman language isn't all about speech — some communication happens by whistling. Whistle languages are found around the world, and they give us a chance to learn about language and the brain. How do they work? And why are they dying out? Linguist Daniel Midgley puts his lips together and blows on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-08-2557 minTalk the Talk213: Short and SweetIs there anything that all human languages have in common? With all the diversity in the world’s languages, a true universal is hard to find. But new research has unearthed a principle involving the distances between words, and this discovery has revived a long-standing debate. Linguist Daniel Midgley keeps it short and sweet on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-08-1157 minTalk the Talk212: Fourth FloorLanguage change is all around us — even at department stores. And it's there that Linguist Daniel Midgley to get in touch with a 50-year-old linguistic experiment that would change the world. And it all starts with a question: What's on the fourth floor? We find out on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-08-0457 minTalk the Talk211: NewsbagFor this episode, we're reaching deep into the newsbag, and showing what's new in the world of linguistics. Is there a war on women's voices? Is a popular toy spouting obscenities? And how did the language of trade floor speculation become the latest dead "language"? Linguist Daniel Midgley and Em Burrows bring you the latest on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-07-2858 minTalk the Talk209: TypographyTypography is more than just font design. It affects informational readability — and at times, credibility. It's contributed terms to our language. And sometimes, there are stories of intrigue hidden in its past. Linguist Daniel Midgley is the font of all knowledge on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-06-1658 minTalk the Talk208: Bogan Linguistics (featuring Roz Rowen)Are you, or have you ever been a bogan? Bogan English doesn't get a lot of respect, but one linguist is transcending social boundaries to bring Bogan Linguistics to the world. Linguist Roz Rowen cracks a tinny with Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-06-091h 00Talk the Talk207: Language Learning Apps Road-TestMore and more of us are turning to our phones to learn a new language, or brush up on an old one. And with so many apps available, there have never been so many ways to learn. But what do they offer, and which one is right for you? Linguist Daniel Midgley offers some advice on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-06-021h 01Talk the Talk206: Baby Talk, or Not?Everyone seems to use baby talk on babies. And linguists think it helps them learn language. But a new study says dads don't do it as much. Does it matter? And what kind of input helps children learn? Linguist Daniel Midgley takes some quality time on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-05-2656 minTalk the Talk205: Lost WritingThe written word lasts longer than speech, at least in principle. But what happens when a writing system is lost in the mist of history? Lost writing can be deciphered, but these scripts have resisted all attempts. Linguist Daniel Midgley makes it clear on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-05-1958 minTalk the Talk204: ShibbolethsA shibboleth can mark you as a insider… or an outsider. Shibboleths can be words, phrases, or even sounds, but getting them wrong can lead to social or political exclusion, and in some cases, they can be fatal. Linguist Daniel Midgley gives himself away on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-05-121h 02Talk the Talk203: Modern Australian Usage (featuring Nicholas Hudson)When writers need advice, they turn to editors, and Nicholas Hudson is a formidable presence in the editing world. But how does his advice stack up linguistically? And what do Australian writers need to know? Author and editor Nicholas Hudson speaks with linguist Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-05-0558 minTalk the Talk202: LyingEveryone lies. But what is lying? And can you tell when someone's doing it? Researchers are using computers to catch us in the act. Linguist Daniel Midgley tels the whole truth on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-04-2859 minTalk the Talk201: The First LanguageMost of us try to avoid offensive language. But as language changes, the kind of language that's considered offensive changes as well. Are there any words you use which may have some unsavoury connotations? Linguist Daniel Midgley watches his words on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-04-2156 minTalk the Talk200: Offensive ThingsMost of us try to avoid offensive language. But as language changes, the kind of language that's considered offensive changes as well. Are there any words you use which may have some unsavoury connotations? Linguist Daniel Midgley watches his words on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-04-141h 00Talk the Talk199: Computer HumourWhy did the computer cross the road? Linguists are trying to get computers to do very human things: detect humour, recognise irony, and even write jokes. But can computers do funny? What makes something funny, anyway? Linguist Daniel Midgley hacks the humour mainframe on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-04-0758 minTalk the Talk198: The Geography of Sound (featuring Caleb Everett)Does climate affect language? A linguist has found that tone languages appear in regions of high humidity. But the idea that human speech adapts to the environment is not a popular one. So what's going on? Daniel Midgley speaks with the author Caleb Everett on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-03-311h 03Talk the Talk196: IrishThe Irish language is attracting a lot of attention. It's now a major player among minority languages, but even so, it's a surprisingly contentious topic for many. Linguist Daniel Midgley finds out what it's all about on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-03-1756 minTalk the Talk195: PalindromesPoor Dan is in a droop. No lemons, no melon. Won't lovers revolt now? Is this some weird experimental novel? No, every one of those sentences is palindromic — they read the same forward and backward. Palindromes aren't just fun; they have some surprising historical significance. Linguist Daniel Midgley is too hot to hoot on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-03-1058 minTalk the Talk193: The Bilingual AdvantageSpeaking another language is good for your brain — at least that's what we've heard. But some new research paints a less-positive picture. Should you learn another language? And how? Linguist Daniel Midgley gets bilingual on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-02-2457 minTalk the Talk192: Linguistic MoviesIt's Oscars time, and the film about Alan Turing "The Imitation Game" is in contention for best picture. But that's not the only language movie out there — there are plenty of cinematic delights to quench your passion for linguistic film. Linguist Daniel Midgley goes to the movies on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-02-1757 minTalk the Talk191: Ape AccentsDo apes have accents? A recent news story claims that chimps learn a "new language" when they move in with other chimps. What's behind the story? And what exactly are our fellow primates capable of, language wise? Linguist Daniel Midgley goes ape on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-02-1058 minTalk the Talk190: Rap Linguistics (featuring Darin Flynn)Rap is the music of the street. And now it’s on campus. Linguist Darin Flynn has created a university linguistics class that puts rap lyrics on the syllabus. What can hip-hop poets tell us about language? Dr Flynn tells Daniel Midgley all about it on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-02-031h 01Talk the Talk189: Words of the Year 2014It's a new year, and that means it's time for our Word of the Year round-up. What words tripped on our tongues, tickled our ears, and zeited our geist in 2014? Linguist Daniel Midgley can't even on this episode of Talk the Talk.2015-01-271h 04
Talk the Talk188: The Language Myth (featuring Vyvyan Evans)How do children learn language so quickly? For decades, the prevailing view has been that they're born with it. But a new breed of linguists is overturning this view with evidence from human evolution, cognition, and actual children. Among these researchers is Dr Vyvyan Evans, author of a new book "The Language Myth". Vyv speaks with Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-12-1641 minTalk the Talk187: EmojiEmoji. You know them, you use them — maybe more than you'd like to admit. But where do they come from? Which ones are most popular? And what new emoji are on the way? Linguist Daniel Midgley is worth a thousand words on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-12-0923 minTalk the Talk186: No Puns in ChinaChina's media office is cracking down on puns. And not because they're terrible — they claim that wordplay is confusing, and damaging to cultural heritage. But is this just an attempt to control dissent? By the way, how many characters should there be in a Chinese tweet? Linguist Daniel Midgley checks it out on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-12-0222 minTalk the Talk185: Listener QuestionsWe get questions from our many listeners. And we have answers. Do the languages of the world form a continuous chain? And isn't it possible that language influences thought by the words we use? Linguist Daniel Midgley tells all on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-11-2523 minTalk the Talk184: We Do Language (featuring Anne Charity Hudley)There's more than one way to speak English. But too often, kids who speak other varieties of English find themselves on the wrong side of their teachers. How can educators — and everyone else — avoid linguistic discrimination and value the different kinds of English all around us? Daniel Midgley speaks with author and educator Anne Charity Hudley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-11-1839 minTalk the Talk183: The End of CursivePenmanship is becoming a lost art. In our age of keyboards and smartphones, fewer and fewer of us use that distinctive cursive script, and schools are even letting go of teaching running writing. Will cursive die out, and will computers pick up the slack? Linguist Daniel Midgley sticks to the script on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-11-1128 minTalk the Talk182: Machine TranslationTranslation is hard. So when computers try to translate text automatically, the results can be hilarious or tragic. But improvements are on the horizon. How does machine translation work, and can humans and computers work together? Linguist Daniel Midgley gets lost in translation on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-11-0433 minTalk the Talk181: Is Aussie Slang Dying Out?Is Australian slang carking it? Dying, that is. One lexicographer is seeing fewer Aussie terms than ever in contemporary slang. Words are always going in and out of fashion, but if the Aussie lingo is changing, can we see what it's changing into? Linguist Daniel Midgley gives it a burl on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-10-2826 minTalk the Talk180: Bad English (featuring Ammon Shea)Are you annoyed by grammar purists? Do prescriptive pedants pester you with trivial issues of usage? What you need is some ammunition for fighting back. And it's here, in the new book 'Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravation'. Linguist Daniel Midgley talks with author Ammon Shea on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-10-2143 minTalk the Talk179: OnomatopoeiaBoom, crash, and beep. These words are onomatopoeic; they sound kind of like the thing they describe. Onomatopoeia has contributed to our vocabulary in some unexpected ways, and may have even helped get language started in the first place. But does it work in all languages? And why doesn't the word 'onomatopeia' sound like the thing? Linguist Daniel Midgley makes a splash on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-10-1426 minTalk the Talk178: Village Sign LanguagesLinguists are discovering signed languages in unexpected places. Created where there are high rates of congenital deafness, these village sign languages are challenging traditional ideas about how humans do language. What can they teach us about language and the mind? Linguist Daniel Midgley sees the signs on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-10-0730 minTalk the Talk177: Speed ReadingIs speed reading for real? Old techniques and new apps promise to help you read at phenomenal speeds, but do they really help? How can you become a better reader? Linguist Daniel Midgley goes cover to cover on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-09-3023 minTalk the Talk176: Language Myths (featuring Karen Stollznow)Does Bigfoot use language? Can your brain understand a message if it's backwards? We don't always understand how language works, so it's natural that myths and legends about language should arise. Now a new book "Language Myths, Mysteries, and Magic" examines them. Daniel Midgley talks with author, linguist, and skeptic Karen Stollznow on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-09-2335 minTalk the Talk175: Mother TonguesEveryone knows it's a good idea to get kids to learn a foreign language. But lots of Australian kids already speak a foreign language -- at home. Yet these 'mother tongues' are losing ground to English. How do we encourage the minority languages in our midst? Linguist Daniel Midgley investigates on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-09-1625 minTalk the Talk174: Big Data, Small WorldThere's a lot of data out there. And people are using it to find some pretty interesting patterns. Whether it's finding global superdialects, or inferring language similarity from the errors of English learners, computers are expanding our language horizons. Linguist Daniel Midgley brings you the world on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-09-0933 minTalk the Talk173: Metaphor in Brainspace (featuring Thalia Wheatley and Beth Castieau)Do you like long discussions or heavy conversations? If you understood that, you’re good at metaphors. They help us express ourselves, and even understand things. But what's happening in our brains when we hear them? And can metaphors change our perception of the world? Social neuroscientist Thalia Wheatley discusses deep thoughts with linguist Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-09-0236 minTalk the TalkRadiothon 2014 SpecialOur Radiothon 2014 show was a celebration of RTRFM, community radio, and our listeners. But there were language questions for linguist Daniel Midgley, appearances from Kylie Sturgess, Ben Ainslie, and more. And we’re bringing you the best on this Radiothon episode of Talk the Talk.2014-08-2623 minTalk the Talk172: Why It's Hard to Learn a LanguageAnyone who's tried to learn a foreign language knows that it can take a lot of work. Yet children seem to learn languages easily. How do they do it? And why should you try learning a language? Linguist Daniel Midgley tells you on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-08-1231 minTalk the Talk171: Word Crimes 2"Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Word Crimes" combines grammar with music, and it's fun to listen to. But linguists are pointing out that these word crimes are not so felonious after all. Linguist Daniel Midgley continues the investigation on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-08-0529 minTalk the Talk170: Word Crimes 1Weird Al Yankovic's new parody "Word Crimes" is chock-full of grammar advice — but is it good advice? Or is it just a three-minute-long language peeve session? What should we take from the song, and what should best be left alone? Linguist Daniel Midgley tells you what you need to know on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-07-2927 minTalk the Talk168: In Praise of AmbiguitySome words and sentences are ambiguous — they could be taken more than one way. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Or is it? Does ambiguity make language difficult to understand? Or could it actually make communicating easier? Linguist Daniel Midgley enjoys ambiguity more than most people on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-06-1725 minTalk the Talk166: MondegreensEven if you're great at understanding the words to songs, you've probably encountered mondegreens. They're misheard song lyrics, and they can be funny, bizarre, and sometimes better then the real thing. Why do they happen, and what can they tell us about language and cognition? Linguist Daniel Midgley supplies the fish on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-06-0330 minTalk the Talk165: Little SpongesChildren seem to soak up language, even the things we'd rather they not say. What do you do about your child's swearing? And does using signed language help babies talk earlier? Linguist Daniel Midgley is down with the kids on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-05-2725 minTalk the Talk164: Sounding GayIs there such a thing as 'gay voice'? Can you tell someone's orientation by the way they talk? While there's been a lot of supposition and stereotyping, there's also a body of linguistic work on this very topic, and linguist Daniel Midgley swings that way on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-05-2030 minTalk the Talk162: Conlangs 2Conlangs — or constructed languages — give a feeling of reality to science fiction. But constructing or learning a language means you have to know something about the structure of language. What choices are there, and what do you need to know? In the second of a two-part series, Linguist Daniel Midgley unfolds the scrolls on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-05-0628 minTalk the Talk161: Conlangs 1Conlangs — or constructed languages — bring a feeling of reality to the worlds of science fiction. For some people, learning Dothraki or Klingon shows their true dedication. But what are conlangs like? What can they tell us about natural languages, and should you learn one? In the first of a two-part series, Linguist Daniel Midgley gets geeky on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-04-2931 minTalk the Talk160: Evidence for Innateness?Are we hard-wired for language? New studies have found that infants (and even adults) seem predisposed to certain combinations of sounds and words. But is this evidence for innateness, or is there another explanation? Linguist Daniel Midgley takes us into a great debate on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-04-2224 minTalk the Talk159: Taboo Grammar (featuring James Bednall and Joe Blythe)Why do languages have the grammar they do? For some Australian languages, grammar is shaped by the stuff you're not supposed to say. Linguist Joe Blythe is finding out about the evolution of language, and challenging one of the biggest ideas in linguistics. Dr Blythe talks to Daniel Midgley on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-04-1529 minTalk the Talk158: English PluralsIs it octopuses or octopi? What about mongooses? Are they mongeese? Sure, you can use plural -s, but do you know your way around the unusual plurals of English? Have no fear. Linguist Daniel Midgley takes you through the ins and outs on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-04-0828 minTalk the Talk157: Digital ExtinctionWill the Internet save minority languages, or kill them? Many small languages lack an online presence, as only a handful of languages dominate the Web. On the other hand, we've never had so many tools to include other languages in the global conversation. Are we seeing digital death, or an electronic renaissance? Linguist Daniel Midgley weighs it up on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-04-0127 minTalk the Talk156: Emotional LanguageEmotions are fleeting. But when they're captured in language, we can study how they spread from person to person, and even through time. What impact does the emotional language of others have on you? And how many emotions are there anyway? Linguist Daniel Midgley lets it all out on this episode of Talk the Talk.2014-03-2531 min
Talk the Talk105: Language and the Pirahã 2 (featuring Daniel Everett)Why is language the way it is? Is it in our genes? Or does culture play a role? Linguists have supposed that we have a language instinct that sets the boundaries on what a possible language is. But the language of the Pirahã has been changing perceptions on how language does what it does. Linguist Daniel Midgley continues his discussion with Daniel Everett on this episode of Talk the Talk.2013-02-0517 minTalk the Talk104: Language and the Pirahã 1 (featuring Daniel Everett)Linguist Daniel Everett has worked with the Pirahã people of the Amazon for decades. They have an unusual language with no words for numbers or colours. And this language is finding itself at the centre of some explosive claims about language and cognition. Our resident linguist Daniel Midgley interviews Dr Everett on this episode of Talk the Talk.2013-01-2919 min