Category: that’s not language (page 1 of 2)

Solo shows mid-2018

We’re on our customary mid-year hiatus, but Daniel’s still having a great time in the studio, taking your questions, playing tracks, and talking about whatever’s happening in the world of language.

We’re thinking of putting together a best-of for the …

331: Koko

Koko the Gorilla has passed away.

Koko was claimed to have learned words through modified sign language, and even spoken English. But how do these claims stack up? What was she able to do, and what does this teach us …

259: Does Your Dog Understand You? (featuring Monica)

Can our furry friends understand what we’re saying?

Before the Talk the Talk team can say no (like every other time), a very special listener wants us to consider the case for animals and language.

Listener Monica speaks with Daniel

239: Animal Syntax

Other 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 …

237: Hinglish (featuring Sana Bharadwaj)

Hinglish. It’s not Hindi. It’s not English. So what is it?

It’s a hybrid language spoken by about 350 million Indian people. And it’s getting bigger all the time. But what’s it like, and what function does it have for …

227: 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 …

226: Shakespeare in Translation 2 (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 …

191: Ape Accents

Do 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

134: Glossolalia

What is glossolalia?

It’s speaking in tongues, a religious practice that makes some people feel closer to god, and other people feel deeply uncomfortable. Is it the language of angels, or a psychological artefact? And what can linguistics tell us …

131: Dolphin Names

Dolphins are known for their squeaky calls, but now it appears that these clever mammals of the sea can call each other by name.

What is their communication system like, and how does this compare with human language?

Linguist Daniel

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