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” …
Does the world look different if you speak a different language?
Can we tell what someone’s culture is like, just from the structure of their syntax?
For linguists, the answers are no. And no.
John McWhorter is the author of …
Children 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 sign language help babies talk earlier?
Linguist Daniel Midgley is down with the kids on …
Conlangs — 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 …
How do you convince others of your views when the facts are overwhelmingly against you?
If you’re one of the many hoaxers, cranks, and denialists out there, you use language. What rhetorical tactics do they rely on, and how can …
Humanity, we may have a problem.
Computers are getting good at imitating us. How good? Good enough to fool us into accepting their scientific papers and their robocalls. Might they have already passed the Turing Test? And what are bots …
People are great at describing colours, but smells? Not so much.
Could that be because of the language we speak? Just how does language influence our perception?
Linguist Daniel Midgley takes us into a great debate on this episode of …
The Brahmin of Kerala in Southern India are renowned for their ritual of chanting.
Parts of their chants are not in any human language, and yet they still appear to show patterns. But it’s also been claimed that these chants …
Mayan apocalypse? Boring!
Mayan languages? Interesting!
While some people are freaking out about the latest End of the World, you can find out what Mayan languages are like, and how their writing system was deciphered.
Linguist Daniel Midgley takes you …
© 2024 Talk the Talk
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
