The World in Words focuses on language. We cover everything from bilingual education to the globalization of English to untranslatable foreign phrases. You’ll learn how to insult someone in Icelandic, among other things. Hosted by The World’s Patrick Cox.
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The World in Words
How Technology is Changing Chinese, One Pun at a Time
Technology is rapidly accelerating the creation of new punning slang, to the point of fundamentally changing the Chinese language.
Are Europeans Still Tribal?
Soccer and language differences bring out our tribalism. That may not help in solving the Euro Crisis.
Linguistic Rectification, and Tori’s Spelling
Is there a single correct way to pronounce cities like Kiev and Krakow?
Nairobi’s Smart Graffiti and Sheng Hip Hop
Podcast: A group of artists bring politics and color to the streets of Kenya’s capital.
Speaking Freely in the New Burma
As Burma opens up, political speech is less restricted, but testing it is still risky.
Tourette’s Hero: Changing the World One Tic at a Time
A British woman with Tourette’s Syndrome celebrates the humor of her verbal tics.
Podcast: In Vietnam, a Nation Learns English
As young Vietnamese flock to language schools, older Vietnamese feel the culture shock.
The Chinese Yuan and the Currency of Language
Does China’s rise mean that Mandarin will one day replace English as the language of global trade?
Mistaking Welsh For Hebrew
A linguistic mix-up sends two journalists to a Libyan jail for three weeks.
A Trip Around America’s Languages
Writer Elizabeth Little discovers Twilight tourism and the Quileute language
Mademoiselle in Song, and Translating Jargon
Will French singers stop using the word “Mademoiselle” now that the French government has?
Ben Lewis’ History of Communism Told Through Jokes
There are many ways to tell history. One of the most revealing may be by relating the jokes of a time and a place. Ben Lewis does that in Hammer and Tickle. These are jokes of people victimized by Communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Chinese Orphans Catch a Break
Carol and Patrick discuss five language stories in the news including: new naming protocols for Chinese orphans; a Spanish language movie that is barred from competing as a foreign language film at the Academy Awards; and the latest volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English.
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