For blogger Stephen Dodson, swearing is liberation. And the more languages you can swear in, the more liberated you’ll feel. Dodson is the co-author of a new book on global cursing, and we feature an interview with him. Also this week, the story of YouTube sensation (now that’s a 2008 cliche) Peter Nalitch, a Russian who sings nonsense English. And we’ll hear from a group of Georgian choral singers. They’re part of a revival of Georgian-language hymns and folk songs following decades of Soviet repression. It’s some of the most hauntingly beautiful music I’ve ever heard. Listen here.
August 19, 2008
podcast #16: naming your child, Senegalese scrabble and “Um”
Why is Ghana’s most famous citizen Kofi Annan so named? Hint: if he’d been born on a different day he might have been called Kwame. Plus, in New Zealand a judge has allowed a 9-year-old girl to change her name from Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii. In parts of Honduras, the name Radiator is popular. Yup, it isn’t just in the United States where people are given ridiculous names. Also in this podcast, why the Senegalese love scrabble… and a conversation with Michael Erard, author of “Um,” a book about slips, stumbles and verbal blunders. Listen on iTunes or here.
August 5, 2008
podcast #15: China’s mad about English and everyone’s mad about Chinglish
Learning English is all the rage in China right now. We have several items on how the Chinese are struggling to learn English: many struggle more than learn. We ask whether China’s emerging English profiency will mean an end to those poor but funny translations known as Chinglish. We also discover that you can commit some seriously juicy Chinglish in reverse form, from English to Chinese. Listen here or here on iTunes.
July 30, 2008
podcast #14: Chinese script, dialects and patriotic names
With the Olympics just a couple of weeks away, Chinese national pride is peaking. What better way to express that than name your one - and probably only - child Olympic Games? We get the lowdown on that, as well as on China’s many languages and dialects. Plus, there’s something else we can blame on computers: Chinese people are forgetting how write the script of their own language. Listen here or subscribe on iTunes.
July 21, 2008
podcast #13: chants, applause and faux esperanto
It’s non-verbal language this week. That means chants, whistles, grunts and other noises that crowds make. We consider why one refrain in a White Stripes song has become so popular among European soccer fans. Also, the language of applause. Finally, the deeply weird story about a TV ad in Esperanto - except it wasn’t Esperanto. Listen here.
July 15, 2008
podcast #12: official English, unofficial Spanish, campaign songs and the French word for podcast
We hit the Presidential campaign trail this week. John McCain has an awkward moment with a voter who seems to want Spanish banned. Barack Obama has to deal with charges that he would force Americans to learn Spanish. Also, from 70s rock to reggaetón: the unofficial campaign songs of the Presidential candidates. And French and English exchange a few words. Some French people now say “boss” and “one-to-one.” But English-speaking Quebecers say “cinq-à-sept” and “valoriser.” Listen here.
July 8, 2008
podcast #11: living dictionaries and a singing ambassador
It’s official: “muffin top” now has its own entry in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. This week, we consider several new words, or new meanings of old words, that have found their way into the Concise OED. We also talk with writer Charlotte Brewer about how the OED tries to keep up with the ever-evolving English language. And we hear from two Americans who perform in foreign languages: the first is a singing ambassador, the second is rapper Y-Love. Listen here.
June 30, 2008
podcast # 10: speaking freely around the world
With a nod to July 4th, we check in on a quintessential American value: free speech. President Bush says it’s a foreign policy priority. Well, actually, it’s not when it comes to U.S. ally Singapore. We also take a look at a bill in Congress called the Global Online Freedom Act. We spend some time with a Pakistani-American family living in Phoenix, AZ, who together have written “The American Muslim Teenager’s Handbook.” And we offer a tribute to George Carlin and his disdain for euphemism. Listen here.
June 23, 2008
podcast #9: the global prospects of English and Textperanto
The English language has been expanding its reach since…I’m no expert, but certainly long before those Mayflower men hit an American rock. Recently, English has made inroads in post-Soviet Russian. In Estonia meanwhile, everyone’s so busy learning English that they have forgotten that they are right next to Mother Russia. Then there’s Sol Steinmetz, a man of many tongues. Several decades ago, he was a boy of many tongues: he learned Hungarian, then Yiddish, then Spanish, then English. He still speaks all those other languages - and a couple more - but he feels most comfortable speaking English.
There are, of course, global rivals to English - Chinese, Spanish, French - but Esperanto is most assuredly not such a rival. Now there’s a new Esperanto for the text messaging generation. Someone in our newsroom said it should be called Textperanto. Alas, no: its name is NOL. That’s this week’s podcast. Listen to it here.
June 17, 2008
podcast #8: words about Iraq, terror and basketball
This week, the evolving language of George W. Bush’s foreign policy: we take a look at how his descriptions of Iraq and the “war on terror” have changed over the years. We also hear about a few words the President wishes he hadn’t used. And finally, we consider the Boston Celtics’ embrace of the Zulu concept of “ubuntu.” Listen here. Or on iTunes.
