Monthly Archives: November 2008

podcast #32: The Bible in Jamaican patois, and Rotten English

The Bible is being translated into Jamaican patois. For some, it’ll bring the scriptures alive; for others it’s just not how the word of God ought to sound. Then a longish segment on English that’s so bad, it’s rotten. Whether spoken … Continue reading

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podcast #31: Shakespeare’s appeal, Milton’s linguistic inventions and a Japanese naming ceremony

Which dead old writer coined the words eyeball, premeditated and jaded? Which one came up with embellish, sensuous and intervolve? (OK, so they didn’t all catch on.) And which one kept a diary – now online in blog form – … Continue reading

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podcast #30: One Bolivian language goes digital, another is good in road rage situations…and Zulu hip hop

First, how open source software is helping Bolivia’s Aymara language enter the digital age. Then, a nice turn of phrase in another Bolivian language, Quechua, as used by someone’s grandmother in moments of road rage. Finally, two South African hits – … Continue reading

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podcast #29: Misleading war metaphors, Rwanda rejects French, and the crimes of Franglais

We kick off the Globama era with a discussion of how we micharacterise wars, especially how and when they end. Did the American Civil War end at Appomattox in April 1865 or at the ballot box in November 2008? Also, … Continue reading

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