Category: punctuation (page 1 of 2)

376: Language Hotspots (with Xia Hua)

Some parts of the world are packed with languages. Others not so much.

Is there a reason that some places are linguistically dense? Researchers are turning up connections between biological ecology and language ecology.

Xia Hua studies language diversity, and …

374: Polari, Britain’s Lost Gay Language (with Paul Baker, Grant Mathumba Thompson, and Alexandra Marley)

When homosexuality was illegal, a secret language brought people together.

In 1960s England, Polari was a creative blend of Romani, Italian, rhyming slang, and backslang, used among the LGBT community. It could be used to communicate, or to identify someone …

369: The Grammarian Is In (with Ellen Jovin and Pete Swanton)

If you’re at a park in New York City, you may see someone at a table offering free grammar advice.

That person is writer Ellen Jovin, and she dispenses wisdom from her Grammar Table. What motivates her to do …

364: Mailbag of R-R-R-R

The 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?

339: How English Could Be Way Cooler

Other languages have good ideas too, you know.

Have you noticed something cool about another language, and wished English did that? Is there any feature of another language that you wish English had?

Daniel and Hedvig are engaging in a …

326: Linguistics in the Pub (live with Pint of Science, featuring Amy Budrikis and Troy Reynolds)

It’s a Talk the Talk live show!

We’re working together with Pint of Science to bring science to the pub. But we’re not alone — we’ve got early-career researchers Amy Budrikis and Troy Reynolds to talk about their work in …

281: The Emoji Code (featuring Vyvyan Evans)

Why does everyone ❤️ and 😡 emoji?

Emoji have been received enthusiastically in our electronic communication, and yet complaints about them continue. Is there anything wrong with using them? Are they really the equivalent of modern-day hieroglyphics? Do they represent …

280: Contractions

They’ll, we’ve, you’re, and even ain’t.

This week, we’re having contractions, but not the muscular kind — the word kind! We squash words together all the time, but why? And how well can you recognise them?…

250: Comma Sutra (featuring Louisa Fitzhardinge)

The Talk the Talk team is taking a break, but Daniel jumped at the chance to speak to Louisa Fitzhardinge, whose new comedy show ‘Comma Sutra’ looks at the lighter side of the use — and misuse — of …

230: End-of-Year Wrap-Up

It’s the last show of the year, and we’ve got Daniel, Ben, and Kylie live in the studio.

We’re discussing everything from punctuation in texting, to YouTube voice. And we unveil our Word of the Year.

All on this episode …

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