Shows
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.122: The Interaction Engine (with Stephen Levinson)How did language start? What do all languages have in common? How does language really work? Many answers have been posed to these questions, but one thing is for sure: interaction is the combustion chamber where everything happens. We're having a chat with linguistic lion Stephen Levinson, author of The Interaction Engine. Timestamps Introductions: 0:19 These fascinating facts about language will make you (or Dr Levinson) a hit at any party: 3:47 The mechanics of speech production: 06:01 What's going on when we're talking or listening? 8:46 Cultural differences in conversational norms: 20:33 Universals of interaction: 22:10 Metaphors of space may have...2025-07-1255 minBecause Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.119: Eurovision Goes to Uni (with Paulette van der Voet and Solveig Bollig)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 here to tell us all about it… and nerd out with Hedvig besides. Timestamps Cold open: 0:00 Intros: 0:39 News: 7:39 Related or Not: 26:41 Interview with Paule...2025-05-182h 15Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.90: Enpoopification (with Grant Barrett and Tim Brookes)We’re talking words, and no one has a way with words like Grant Barrett. He’s here to tell us what it’s like at Dictionary.com, and what went down at the annual American Dialect Society Words of the Year 2023 vote. And perhaps he can help forestall Hedvig’s planned mass human extinction. Also: World Endangered Writing Day is upon us! It’s a fantastic initiative, and author Tim Brookes of Endangered Alphabets is here to lay out the case for preserving writing systems.2024-01-222h 05Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.79: A.I. Hype Hosedown (with Emily Bender and Jack Hessel)Daniel Midgley, Ben Ainslie, and Hedvig Skirgård2023-07-263h 01Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.76: Ooo! Yum! Uh… (with Emily Hofstetter, Eleonora Beier, and Russell Gray)Why does everyone say OOO! when they see someone fall down? Why do we say YUM when we feed a baby? And what's the deal with fillers like UM? For this episode we're talking about non-lexical vocalisations with Dr Eleonora Beier and Dr Emily Hofstetter. Also: linguists are diving into Grambank, a database with detailed information about grammatical features in over 2,500 languages. With its release, we're talking to project leaders Dr Russell Gray and our own Dr Hedvig Skirgård. Also, Hedvig gives us our yearly Eurovision language update. Ben's not here, so he...2023-05-272h 26Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.61: Together at LastIt’s Ben, Hedvig, and Daniel all together in the same place for the first time. We’re talking about the state of the show, the state of linguistics communication, and where we are after all these years.2022-10-081h 15Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.53: Mailbag of Compounds (with Tiger Webb)Language titan Tiger Webb is helping us with our voluminous Mailbag. Hedvig is giving her annual Eurovision language roundup. And we’re sorting through the lexicon of the 2022 Australian election. Is MAYBE a compound word? What about ANOTHER, or GARBAGE? Are GONNA and WANNA portmanteaus? What does it take to be a linguist? 2022-05-311h 32Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.52: The Language Game (with Morten Christiansen and Nick Chater)How is language like a game of charades? According to a new book, quite a lot. Charades players and language users improvise and work together to create meaning in a situation, and they get better at it as they reuse elements and build up patterns. Drs Morten Christiansen and Nick Chater explain their vision of language to Daniel and Hedvig on this episode of Because Language. 2022-05-111h 31Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.51: A Wug-Tonne of Advice (with Kitty Liu and Romany Amber)We had the pleasure of an interview with two up-and-coming linguists, wanting to find out more about the show and linguistic communication. It was such a fun chat that we wanted to share it with you. Here's Daniel and Hedvig with Kitty Liu and Romany Amber. Part of this chat also appears in magazine form (along with a lot of other really good articles) : https://issuu.com/u-lingua/docs/issue_8_forweb Thanks to Kitty and Romany for thinking of us, and thanks to U-Lingua for letting us make this audio public. ...2022-05-0152 minBecause Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.45: Mailbag of WordsThe Words of the Year are out! And we’re talking about ’em. We’re answering all the questions in our voluminous Mailbag. We have here, there, and where. We also have that and what. Was there ever a hat? Why are we friends with someone? Is the distribution of emoji Zipfian? If you study linguistics — the science of language — are you a STEM major? And Hedvig springs a game on us.2022-01-291h 19
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.35: Something's Got to Change (with Lesley Woods and Alice Gaby)Linguistics as a discipline throws up challenges to Indigenous linguists. At the same time, they're the ones called upon to fix it. It can't stay like this. How do we make linguistics a safe place to work? Daniel, Hedvig, and very special co-host Ayesha Marshall are having a yarn with Lesley Woods and Dr Alice Gaby about their work in changing linguistics for the better.2021-08-271h 21
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.34: OzCLO 2021: 2 Cool 4 School (with Elisabeth Mayer, Henry Wu, Victoria Papaioannou, and the students of Melbourne Girls Grammar School)OzCLO is the Australian Computational and Linguistic Olympiad. It gets students together to compete and solve linguistic problems. It’s also a gateway to further linguistic study. We’ve brought some of the winning students to compete in a linguistic quiz with Ben and Hedvig. Will it go well for them?2021-08-051h 46
Because Language - a podcast about linguistics, the science of language.22: Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction (with Jesse Sheidlower)What’s a corpsicle? How old is the word hyperspace? Who was the first writer to use the term warp drive? These and many other terms can be found in the landmark work The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction, and with us is the editor, lexicographer Jesse Sheidlower.2021-03-171h 39
Talk the Talk395: Outed or Misgendered (with Cedar Brown)"What's your pronoun?" Good question. Many people would like to be more supportive of trans and non-binary people. In general, it's helpful when cis people disclose their pronouns, but there's a little more to this story. Daniel and Ben are talking to researcher Cedar Brown about pronouns on this episode of Talk the Talk.2020-02-2547 min
Talk the Talk394: What’s Your Pronoun? (with Dennis Baron)It's been a big year for singular they, but there's more than one pronoun in town. What invented pronouns have there been? How far back does singular they go? And why did some people kick up a fuss about singular you? We're talking to pronoun expert Dennis Baron on this episode of Talk the Talk.2020-02-1850 min
Talk the Talk393: Push and Pull (Live Q&A)Are there any pairs of words that you constantly get confused? They're the ones where you have to think for a second to get them straight. Why do our brains have this problem? What about these words makes them so confusable? We're listening to your responses on this episode of Talk the Talk.2020-02-1230 min
Talk the Talk392: Your Voice (with Jane Setter)Your voice is your ability to represent your point of view. So which voices are getting validated? Why are certain voices getting repressed? How do we end accent prejudice? Daniel and Ben are speaking to Jane Setter, author of Your Voice Speaks Volumes, on this episode of Talk the Talk.2020-02-0748 min
Talk the Talk391: Words of the Year 2019It's Word of the Year time, and there are more words than ever before. We bring you the results from the yearly American Dialect Society vote, and from dictionaries around the world on this episode of Talk the Talk.2020-01-2850 min
Talk the Talk390: Words of the Week of the Year 2019 (Live Q&A)Just about every week, we bring you the Words of the Week. Which word from 2019 will listeners vote to make Talk the Talk's Word of the Year? And which words did we miss?2019-12-1646 min
Talk the Talk389: Mailbag of PronounsAgain we open the Mailbag and answer our listeners' questions. What do lisps sound like in languages without the 'th' sound? How do gender-neutral terms work in languages with gendered pronouns? Do languages get more efficient over time? 'One-third' looks like 'three', so why doesn't 'half' look like 'two'? Does any poetic meter mimic the "natural rhythm" of human speech? How do children acquire humour? All on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-12-0454 min
Talk the Talk388: Lies, All Lies (with Georgina Heydon, Heather Wilson, and Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway)Can you tell when someone is lying? You may think you have a sense about this, but the answers may surprise you. We're talking to forensic linguist Professor Georgina Heydon on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-11-2639 min
Talk the Talk387: The Language of Emotion (with Maïa Ponsonnet)Language and culture are tightly bound. Or are they? Many speakers of the Australian language Dalabon are shifting to Kriol. But the two languages function in very different ways. Will speakers be able to translate relevant concepts over, despite linguistic differences? We're talking to Dr Maïa Ponsonnet on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-11-191h 06
Talk the Talk386: English Needs These Idioms (Live Q&A)If you speak a language besides English, you know that there are some idioms that English is missing, or just doesn't do as well. We want to hear them on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-11-1227 min
Talk the Talk385: You Look Like a Thing (with Janelle Shane)Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and that freaks some people out. But the real problem is that AIs may not be smart enough. Whether you're concerned about the future of human/computer interaction, or you just want a fun description of machine learning algorithms, there's a new book you should read. We're talking with author Janelle Shane on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-11-0653 min
Talk the Talk384: Mailbag of WelcomeWelcome to our mailbag, where all the really great questions come from. - Why do we say "You're welcome"? - How can 'varelse' mean 'a being' in Swedish, but 'a room' in Danish? - In sci-fi, what happens when the universal translator breaks? - Is there any reason to study conlangs? - How can you overcome problems with finding the right word? - Is the word 'datatainment' for real? All will be answered on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-10-3055 min
Talk the Talk383: Decolonising the Archive (with Emma Murphy and Caroline Hughes)Communities need language. But a lot of the documentation is locked up in the archives. So now linguists are teaming up with community researchers to demystify linguistic research, so that community researchers can take this work to their communities to help them speak the language. Emma Murphy of Living Languages and community researcher Caroline Hughes are talking to Daniel, Hedvig, and Ben on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-10-2254 min
Talk the Talk382: There's No Enhance Button (with Helen Fraser)We hear what we expect to hear. That's a problem in court, where covert audio recordings are often unclear. Who decides what goes into the transcript that lawyers, judges, and juries will see? We're talking to Dr Helen Fraser about forensic transcription on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-10-1554 min
Talk the Talk381: A Hard Spell (Live Q&A)What words do you constantly misspell? Are there any that make you stop and think every time you type them? We put out the call to our listeners for spelling bugbears, and we were inundated with responses. So we turned it into a top ten list. Along the way, we ask: why are these words so difficult? And are there any tips to help you spell them correctly? We try to help on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-10-0846 min
Talk the Talk380: Emoji Innovations (Live Q&A)For this episode, we want to hear about the emoji usages or combinations that are unique to you and your social network. We'll unearth new patterns, or at least shine a light on the variability of digital communication. We're taking your comments live on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-10-0241 min
Talk the Talk379: Indigenous Signed Languages (with Rodney Adams and Steph Tisdell)Indigenous languages matter. They're part of Australia's cultural heritage, and they're a way for Aboriginal people to communicate, and connect. This includes Indigenous signed languages. In the push to recognise minority languages, Indigenous signed languages deserve some attention of their own. Signed language researcher Rodney Adams is telling us all about these languages on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-09-2557 min
Talk the Talk378: Bugger All (with Isabelle Burke)You might do nothing. You might do zilch. But if you do bugger all, you're really doing the minimum. But wait — how did the phrase bugger all become a negative, in the complete absence of any negative words? There are larger forces at work here, and Dr Isabelle Burke joins us to explain them on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-09-171h 03
Talk the Talk377: Mailbag of UncomfortablenessThe mail keeps coming, and we keep answering. Is English really a dialect of Chinese? Why do people say “uncomfortableness”, when we already have “discomfort”? Are "ankh” and “anchor” related? How does learning traditional languages help communities? Is there a better Noongar word for “white fella” if you’re not a fellow Is “mire” one syllable or two? Why do people say they're “finna” do something? Where does the word “Carlton" come from? And listeners report back on “yeah no” in other languages. All this and more on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-09-1153 min
Talk the Talk376: Language Hotspots (with Xia Hua)Talking to mathematical biologist Xia Hua about why some places are more linguistically diverse, and how this relates to biological diversity. News: Variation in individual vocal tracts may influence vowels over generations. Indigenous Australian Word of the Week: wominjeka "welcome", from Boon Wurrung (Victoria) Words of the Week: prorogation, bedbug, literally.2019-09-0458 min
Talk the Talk375: Community Size Matters (with Limor Raviv)Why are some languages more systematic than others? We often hear about the irregularities in English, and other languages have them as well. But new work shows that systematicity in a language is influenced by the number of speakers in the community. How does that work? Language researcher Limor Raviv joins Daniel, Ben, and Hedvig on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-08-2749 min
Talk the Talk374: Polari, Britain's Lost Gay Language (with Paul Baker)When homosexuality was illegal, a secret language brought people together. In 1960s England, Polari was a creative blend of Italian, Romani, rhyming slang, and backslang, used among the LGBT community. It could be used to communicate, or to identify someone as a member of the group. Now Polari has been lost, even as some of its words have crossed over into mainstream English. We're talking to Professor Paul Baker about this lost language on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-08-081h 10
Talk the Talk373: Mailbag of ProcessesWe're opening up the Mailbag for another episode. Are sneezes written the same way everywhere? Do all languages have rhyming name games? Can all languages do all the things? Why does "this and that" sound normal, but "that and this" sounds weird? Why are people saying "process-eez"? And what's with "yeah nah"? All these and more on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-08-011h 07
Talk the Talk372: Because Internet (with Gretchen McCulloch)The rules are changing. Here's the manual. Gretchen McCulloch's book Because Internet is a look at how people use language on the net to communicate and to show identity. How do people laugh online? How is emoji like gesture? It's a deep dive into internet language on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-07-231h 02
Talk the Talk371: -nado, -holic, -pocalypse: Combining Forms (Live Q&A)Take a tornado. Add some sharks. You've got a sharknado. But it's not just sharks that can leap out of their normal context. It looks like "-nado" is jumping free and becoming a combining form — a part of a word that is becoming its own productive morpheme, as in "firenado". What others are there? We'll find out on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-07-1645 min
Talk the Talk370: Named Wrong (Live Q&A)Names are what they are, and as long as they work, they work. But sometimes in the history of naming, people name things in a manner inapt to their nature or origin. So what's the story behind words like atom, peanut, and strawberry? Daniel is unravelling these stories and more on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-07-0929 min
Talk the Talk369: The Grammarian Is In (with Ellen Jovin)Talking to Ellen Jovin, author and proprietor of Grammar Table, where she dispenses face-to-face grammar advice to the citizens of New York City. News: Genius used a clever technique to catch Google copying its lyrics. A UK primary school is putting the word "like" in word jail. Indigenous Australian Word of the Week: winangala "to listen, know, love" in Gamilaraay (QLD). Words of the Week: concentration camp, fishwrapping, shibbolethnonym.2019-06-261h 22
Talk the Talk368: PoetryPoetry isn't (just) enjoyable, it can be useful. It can help us with language learning and memorisation, and help us in historical linguistics. And even computers are getting into poetry generation, probably because they want to learn the secret of human coolness. We're snapping our fingers on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-06-191h 10
Talk the Talk367: Your Inner Prescriptivist (with Alyssa Severin)Talking with Dr Alyssa Severin about changing minds on prescriptivism. In the news: Bees can associate arbitrary symbols with numbers. Indigenous Australian Word of the Week with Peter Swanton: the name of the language Gamilaraay Words of the Week: mentrification, joyplot, begpacking2019-06-121h 05
Talk the Talk366: Oxbows (Live Q&A)Akimbo. Throes. Tizzy. Some words only appear in limited contexts. But what do they mean? The fascinating histories of these words can tell us more about how English works — and language in general. We’re in tatters — or is that smithereens? — on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-06-0540 min
Talk the Talk365: Difficult Words (with Jane Solomon)Talking with lexicographer Jane Solomon about her book, The Dictionary of Difficult Words. News: Why the latest Voynich Manuscript decipherment is not a thing. But ancient beer is. Indigenous Australian Word of the Week: arri-m-kuk-yi-durnde (Gunwinggu), spoken by Janice Nalorlman Words of the Week: ha-ha (fence), mayochup2019-05-2857 min
Talk the Talk364: Mailbag of R-R-R-RThe questions never stop, and neither do we. What's the past tense of yeet, and why is English past tense so strange? Can etymology help you spell rhythm? Should French teachers have to speak with a Parisian accent? Do's and don'ts? Dos and don't's? Where do the apostrophes go? Why do some people use a trilled [r], when their language doesn't? Is there a way to tell a language from a dialect once and for all? Are there places where men and women have to speak differently? Is word amnesia...2019-05-2154 min
Talk the Talk363: Talking Race (with Jessi Grieser)What happens to language when newcomers move in? Language isn't just for communication — it also signals membership in a group, and this is especially clear in a gentrifying community in Washington DC. Black residents are using African-American English to stake out their place and show a sense of belonging in a changing neighbourhood. Dr Jessi Grieser, author of Talking Place, Speaking Race joins Daniel on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-05-1451 min
Talk the Talk362: Gesture in MindNew research on gesture and mind. People handle inference about the same, whether verbal or gestural. When you see a rude middle finger, your brain isn't primed to think about the organ that gave rise to that expression. News: The Yolngu Sign Language Dictionary. Aboriginal language words on the new coin. Words of the Week: jurlaka ('bird' in Gurindji), snitty, ze, PoC.2019-05-0753 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 Talk360: Familiolects (Live Q&A)Which words, phrases, and pronunciations are unique to your family? We often talk about languages, dialects, and even our own personal ideolects, but for most of us, home is where language starts. So what it's doing at your place? Our friends have shared their favourite stories on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-04-2442 min
Talk the Talk359: False Friends (Live Q&A)They feel so right, but sound so wrong. They're false friends — pairs of words in different languages that seem like they'd mean the same thing, but don't. Which ones have you run across in your language experience? Our friends have sent their favourites for this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-04-1941 min
Talk the Talk358: Mailbag of MalletsAgain we tackle the questions that others dast not. Why do all children know the 'nyah nyah' song? What is the Trans-Atlantic accent? Do Chinese characters stay readable longer than English words? Who says they feel "less than"? When a computer menu says "Save", is that an imperative or an infinitive? Why does the word for "night" look like an "n" plus the word for "eight" in so many languages? And more.2019-04-0444 min
Talk the Talk357: The F-Word (with Jesse Sheidlower)Daniel chats with lexicographer Jesse Sheidlower about profanity, power, and his book, "The F-Word". News: Meet Q, the genderless voice assistant. Words of the Week: charity muggers, omnishambles, snowplow parenting.2019-03-2640 min
Talk the Talk356: The The Show (with Nick Wilson)Talking to Nick Wilson about the biggest small word in the English language: the. News: How the media reports about shooters. Also, how a changing diet changed the range of possible sounds in human language. Words of the Week: big oof, contracept, ha-ha duck.2019-03-1950 min
Talk the Talk355: The Bee Show (with Stephen Mann)Bees: not just great pollinators; great communicators. The dance of the European honeybee is one of the most famous methods of communication in the animal kingdom, and shows features that are very similar to human language. But are bees losing their groove? We're talking to Stephen Mann, animal communication expert, on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-03-121h 04
Talk the Talk354: Shiny Crumb (Live Q&A)Have you ever blanked on a word and said something else? It may not just be you. Some mild forms of anomia happen as we age, but research finds that lexical recall is not straightforward. We'll be hearing from you on this episode of the thing with the talking tube thing.2019-03-0541 min
Talk the Talk353: Mailbag of Highly Intelligent ListenersSome smart questions from our Mailbag. Will there ever be one global language? What would it take for completely new words in English? What's happening when people say 'I have went'? When did buzzwords start? Are there stages in language learning? How does a linguist study a language they don't speak? What determines the prestige of a variety of language?2019-02-2743 min
Talk the Talk352: Wait (with Sali Tagliamonte)Dr Sali Tagliamonte tells us about her new research into the word 'wait'. You probably use it at the start of sentences, but why? News: A research team is learning to recognise speech from thoughts. And zebra finches show socially-guided vocal learning in their calls. Words of the Week: mood, vulva / vagina, Generation V, immune amnesia2019-02-1947 min
Talk the Talk351: A Perfect Alphabet (or, The Royal Tweet)Answering the royal question: what would a perfect alphabet look like? Are there any redundant letters? News: Is it possible to learn new vocabulary during sleep? Also, we talk about the gold rush in ancient DNA. Words of the Week: pinch emoji, clusterfuzz, Green New Deal, complexifier.2019-02-1346 min
Talk the Talk350: Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (with Zalmen Mlotek and Motl Didner)Fiddler on the Roof is heading to Broadway — in Yiddish for the first time. What goes into the production? How does translation work? What does this production mean to the cast and to audience members? Daniel speaks with the creative team in charge of the production on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-02-0544 min
Talk the Talk349: Words of the Year 2018What were the words that marked our year? Daniel was there for the serious, the social, and the silly at the American Dialect Society's annual Word of the Year vote. Hedvig and Daniel discuss all the words on this episode of Talk the Talk.2019-01-2950 min
Talk the Talk348: Microcosm (featuring Rachel Hendery)Talking with Dr Rachel Hendery about what happens to language on beautiful and remote Palmerston Island. In the News: Gmail has a unique solution to the problem of gender bias and text suggestion. And parasites do not cause language diversity. Bookmarks: Motherfoclóir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language by Darach O' Séaghdha. Words of the Week: CRISPR-Cas9, yellow vest, steer2018-12-1147 min
Talk the Talk347: Not Rocket Surgery (featuring Kari Sullivan and William Black)Talking to Dr Kari Sullivan about mixed metaphors, and why they're not all bad. In the news: The pronoun "y'all" seems to be making gains outside the US South. A chat with William Black. Bookmarks: A look back at "Babel-17" by Samuel R. Delaney. Words of the Week: fartgate, death cross, Snowvember, woof.2018-11-271h 00
Talk the Talk346: What Works (featuring Dan Dediu)Talking with researcher Dan Dediu about non-linguistic motivators for language. In the news: We talk easily about colour and shape, and less so for touch, and smell. But other languages mix it up. Bookmarks: Language Drops, a language learning app with 31 languages and neat games. Words of the Week: sportswashing, #ThisIsMyLane, #ThisIsNotConsent, bodycon, revenge bod.2018-11-2049 min
Talk the Talk345: Talk on the Wild Side (featuring Lane Greene)Author Lane Greene joins us to discuss his new book "Talk on the Wild Side". In the news: What makes a satisfying shitgibbon? Plus: how climate affects language diversity. Bookmarks: Make an online translator with LingoJam. Words of the Week: blue wave, rainbow wave, space energy.2018-11-1343 min
Talk the Talk344: Coincidences and Surprising Connections (featuring Bethwyn Evans)We talk to historical linguist Bethwyn Evans about how we know languages are related. In the news: Emoji v11, and the best of the EMNLP conference. Words of the Week: nanobodies, reef-toxic, fair dinkum power, first-daughter effect.2018-11-061h 01
Talk the Talk343: Moon Moons and Reduplication ReduplicationReduplication in the world's languages. A surprising number of meanings can arise from simply repeating all or part of a word. News: Words are different from sounds in the brains of puppers. Coke tries code-switching, with deadly consequences. Bookmarks: The Atlas of Endangered Languages is funded. Green's Dictionary of Slang is going free online. Words of the Week: shame-leave, stochastic terrorism, #WontBeErased, add oil2018-10-3048 min
Talk the Talk342: Mailbag of VagueQuestions from our Mailbag: A whale is an animal. Whales are animals. What's the difference? Is the QWERTY keyboard designed to slow you down? Is English a creole? Why does a word keep popping up after you've encountered it for the first time? Persian or Farsi? Why would someone give their 'right arm', but their 'left nut'? Why do people ask Siri and Alexa sexual questions? Is this a new use of 'vague'?2018-10-1648 min
Talk the Talk341: What the F (featuring Benjamin Bergen)Talking with cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen about the science of swearing. News: California says bots must self-disclose. British drivers swear 41 times every 100 miles. Bookmarks: The film 'I Dream in Another Language'. A new font claims to aid memory. Words of the Week: optical tweezers, knytblus, bula.2018-10-0955 min
Talk the Talk340: Ethics in Big Data (featuring Hannah Rashkin and Maarten Sap)Researchers routinely use tweets, comments, and social media posts as language data. It's public data, but does that mean it's okay to use? We talk to researchers Hannah Rashkin and Maarten Sap about the ethical ins and outs. News: Children can learn categories even when grown-ups don't say the names for things. And chimps and children share many gestures. Bookmarks: Having a play with a coreference analyser. And Translation Party is back! Words of the Week: himpathy, 'darvo' technique, rage, Ryugu.2018-10-0254 min
Talk the Talk339: How English Could Be Way CoolerWhat cool things about other languages could we bring to English? Our listeners share their ideas. News: Another multilingual cross-species translator that's short on details. And the FOXP2 gene (often dubbed the "language gene") shows no evolutionary evidence of being selected for. Bookmarks: The children's show 'Anaana's Tent' teaches Inuktitut — now in English! Also, a new app 'Kupu' uses image recognition to teach Maori vocabulary. Words of the Week: meerkitten, interrobang, precariat.2018-09-2549 min
Talk the Talk338: Signed Languages (featuring Ulrike Zeshan and Christy Filipich)On this International Day of Signed Languages, an interview with researcher Ulrike Zeshan. Auslan interpreter Christy Filipich keeps us on track and shares her views. News: Which takes the effort, starting to speak one language, or repressing the other language? Bookmarks: From listener vgel, it's Themengi, a quick but fun text-based game in an invented language. Words of the Week: bokeh, the okay sign which could mean 'white power'.2018-09-1842 min
Talk the Talk337: Getting the Bias out of Data (featuring Robyn Speer and Kai-Wei Chang)Turning down the bias in big data with researchers Rob Speer and Kai-Wei Chang. News: Typos can defeat a hate-speech detector. New segment: Bookmarks. Kylie tells us about Vox by Christina Dalcher. Words of the Week: lodestar, gender whisperer, oleaginous.2018-09-1145 min
Talk the Talk336: Kinship TermsKinship terms. How do languages handle the vocabulary of family relations? What's a third cousin, and what's 'removed'? In the News: Two Philadelphia students have compiled a glossary of slang for their teachers. Words of the Week: man-child, au pair state, artisanal data.2018-09-0444 min
Talk the Talk335: One Hundred Things (featuring Emily Bender)An interview with Professor Emily Bender of the University of Washington, about 100 things you always wanted to know about semantics and pragmatics. In the News: Mormons don't want you to call them Mormons anymore. Plus a quiz based on the CLICS database, about word colexification. Words of the Week: leadership spill, lampshading, voldemorting, teledildonics.2018-08-2857 min
Talk the Talk334: Mailbag of DarknessQuestions from our listeners: Zhooshing Polari. What does it mean to have "the boits"? Of hills and mountains. Why is it Portuguese and not Brazilian? How can you spot an accent? Do our brains lump additional languages together? Revisiting English adjectives that come last, like "matters linguistic" and "light fantastic". Why do we turn positive words negative? Why is there a D in 'fridge', but not 'refrigerator'? What is Anglish? Do online trolls change the rules of Gricean cooperation?2018-08-211h 02
Talk the Talk333: When Sapir Met Whorf (featuring Östen Dahl and Mikael Parkvall)We revisit the idea that language shapes behaviour with two expert linguists. Is the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis coming in from the cold? In the News: a young woman from New Zealand challenges stereotypes on signage, and the Cha’palaa language of Ecuador has a surprisingly detailed vocabulary for smell. Words of the Week: 3D guns, bag-flip, wolphin2018-08-0752 min
Talk the Talk332: Social (featuring Ketan Joshi, live at the Disrupted Festival 2018)The Talk the Talk team are live at the Disrupted Festival, and they're talking data, social media, and internet privacy with science communicator and internet influencer Ketan Joshi. Plus we play Fact or Fiction. Words of the Week: pubes, flop, self-own, race-tagging2018-07-311h 01
Talk the Talk331: KokoWe talk about Koko, the celebrity gorilla who was taught to sign, and what we've learned about language from her. In the news: horses and babies can read minds. Kind of. Words of the Week: tender-age facility, womp womp, infest, mince.2018-06-2638 min
Talk the Talk330: Making Words for Miriwoong (featuring Knut Olawsky)Talking with Knut Olawsky of the Mirima Language Centre. Knut helps to make new words for the Miriwoong language. What goes into lexical creation for a living language? The Australian government is having another go at adding a language test to become a permanent resident of Australia. We talk about why this is discriminatory. Words of the Week: Freddish, doctor, jobbymoon2018-06-1942 min
Talk the Talk329: Pokémonikers (featuring Stephanie Shih)Talking to Stephanie Shih about the 1st Conference of Pokémonastics. What do the names of Pokémon reveal about human language? In the news: Researchers train a bot on captions from violent and gory images on Reddit. Do gendered languages correlate with lower educational attainment and workforce participation by women? Words of the Week: swatting, distracted walking, mandles2018-06-1246 min
Talk the Talk328: She Writes Dictionaries (featuring Jane Solomon)What goes into writing a (not the) dictionary? We talk to lexicographer Jane Solomon of Dictionary.com. Are more people learning Korean, and is it because of K-pop? Why do people take longer pauses before nouns? Words of the Week: nipaluna, koinonia, zhoosh2018-06-0545 min
Talk the Talk327: How We Talk (featuring Nick Enfield and Simeon Floyd)We talk to Nick Enfield about conversation patterns, and his book 'How We Talk'. Simeon Floyd tells us about new research on the act of thanking. Words of the Week: nano-, yesn't2018-05-2950 min
Talk the Talk326: Linguistics in the Pub (live with Pint of Science, featuring Amy Budrikis and Troy Reynolds)A live show with Pint of Science! Amy Budrikis talks to the team about her study of Aboriginal language transmission in families. Troy Reynolds busts some myths about signed languages and Australian Aboriginal languages, and finds some surprising similarities. Daniel, Ben, and Kylie play 'Finish That Story' and 'Everyone Is Wrong'. Words of the Week: gammon, jejune.2018-05-2241 min
Talk the Talk325: Mailbag of MoistureWhat if your trilingual child rejects your language? What's the hardest language to lip read? Why do some English adjectives come after the noun? Are 'flat adverbs' new? Why do Australians say 'but' at the end of a sentence? What do people call a gender-neutral parent? And what's a good name for vegan cheese… in French?2018-05-1544 min
Talk the Talk324: Translanguaging (featuring Rhonda Oliver)We talk to applied linguist Rhonda Oliver about translanguaging, a method of teaching language that encourages students to use their existing knowledge. Is there a connection between genes and phonemes? Words of the Week: delicious, time with family, modesty poncho2018-05-0842 min
Talk the Talk323: Flip Yeah Taboo AvoidanceEnglish-Only makes a move as Strathfield Council in Sydney cracks down on foreign language shop signs. Listeners send us their favourite minced oaths, both from English and from other languages. Sometimes taboo avoidance changes language. Words of the Week: schmeat, gyre, t-rexing2018-05-0139 min
Talk the Talk322: Sense of Direction (featuring Alice Gaby)Interview with Alice Gaby about how speakers of Marshallese change the way they talk about direction. Also, apprehensives: the particle… OF FEAR. In the news, research teases bias out of big data — and may be able to reverse it in natural language processing. Words of the Week: ghost net, eSwatini, numbnuts. Plus: Why do we say "googy egg"? Why do we call children "kids"?2018-04-2441 min
Talk the Talk321: Language Face to Face (featuring Rachel Romeo)We check out recent news in child language acquisition research. An interview with Rachel Romeo of MIT, who has found that number of conversation turns is a better predictor of language development than the number of words heard by the child. But why? Our Words of the Week: awesome, Anglo-Saxon, thinnernym.2018-04-1743 min
Talk the Talk320: Love Your Larynx (featuring Thila Raja)Are you looking after your larynx? Your voice is your ability to speak, and for a lot of people, it's how we earn a living. So it's important to look after your vocal health. And with World Voice Day coming up, it's a great time to show your larynx some love. We'll find out how on this episode of Talk the Talk.2018-04-1043 min
Talk the Talk319: The Prodigal Tongue (featuring Lynne Murphy)British and American English have always had a love-hate relationship. British people (and Australians) often blame Americans for somehow tarnishing the language, and they fret about creeping Americanism. But people are terrible at identifying what the Americanisms actually are. How well can you do? We're talking to author Lynne Murphy on this episode of Talk the Talk.2018-04-0347 min
Talk the Talk318: Mailbag of AwesomeWe get mail. From you. And today, we're answering your questions. How has jazz influenced our language? And what if you like language diversity, but you're not too keen on how it's used? Daniel and Kylie answer them all on this episode of Talk the Talk.2018-03-2036 min
Talk the Talk317: With Big Data Comes Big Responsibility (featuring Sean Roberts)That study about language looks interesting. Can you trust the results? Lots of researchers are using big data to discover amazing things about language. But big data can bring big trouble if researchers don't look out for some common traps. What should they — and all of us — be watching out for? We'll find out on this episode of Talk the Talk.2018-03-1346 min
Talk the Talk316: Numbers and the Making of Us (featuring Caleb Everett)When we got numbers, things really started to happen. How do other languages handle numbers? How do pre-linguistic children conceptualise them? And how did the development of numbers influence our development as humans? We're talking to anthropological linguist and author Caleb Everett on this episode of Talk the Talk.2018-03-0648 min
Talk the Talk315: Grammar DayGrammar Day is coming soon. Which rules can you safely ignore? Is it okay for nouns to become verbs and vice versa? What's wrong with passive voice? And how can you have a healthy grammar outlook? Daniel, Ben, and Kylie are going back to the books on this episode of Talk the Talk.2018-02-2744 min
SpråketVad är det som gör att vi kan identifiera olika språk?Med hjälp av den virala succén The great language game har forskare lyckats kartlägga vilka faktorer som gör att vi kan särskilja eller tror oss kunna särskilja olika språk. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Du vet hur tyska låter och kan antagligen skilja det från språket franska. Men vad är det för faktorer som gör att vi människor kan särskilja olika språk från varandra?
– Det vi använder för att kategorisera ett ljud till ett språk är mång...2017-04-1724 min
Talk the Talk283: Pun Intended (featuring Janani Krishnan-Jha and Hedvig Skirgård)Puns. Some people love them, some people hate them. But why do some people find puns so exasperating? And why do we make them anyway? What's it like to be on the receiving end of a rapid-fire pun off? Daniel and Kylie are going against the groan on this episode of Talk the Talk.2017-04-1146 min
Talk the Talk282: Why Subject First? (featuring Hedvig Skirgård)This episode going to love you are! Here's a linguistic puzzle: Why does "I like you" sound okay, but "Like you I" sounds weird and Yoda-ish? Well, that's just how English rolls: subjects come first. But surprisingly, most other human languages put their subjects first, too. Why is it so? Ben, Daniel, and Hedvig get structural on this episode of Talk the Talk.2017-04-0440 min
Talk the Talk242: Swedish (featuring Anna Melberg and Hedvig Skirgård)Swedish is a great language, and we have a lot of questions about it. What about its unusual and hard-to-pronounce sounds? Why are people in Sweden so good at learning English? And are we going to see the emergence of Swinglish one day? Daniel, Ben, and Kylie chat to linguist Hedvig Skirgård and Swedish person Anna Melberg on this episode of Talk the Talk.2016-04-1940 min
Speculative Grammarian PodcastLanguage Made Difficult, Vol. XLIILanguage Made Difficult, Vol. XLII — The SpecGram LingNerds are joined by returning guest Hedvig Skirgård. After some Lies, Damned Lies, and Linguistics, the LingNerds see what comes out of their mouths after reading an article claiming awareness comes after speaking, and then they discuss various linguistical ideas—real and imagined—that are ready for retirement.2015-05-1500 minSpeculative Grammarian PodcastLanguage Made Difficult, Vol. XLILanguage Made Difficult, Vol. XLI — The SpecGram LingNerds are joined by guest Hedvig Skirgård. After some Lies, Damned Lies, and Linguistics, the LingNerds go into denial about their own “fingerprint words”, and then flip the script with some descriptivist confessions.2015-05-0800 min