‘Squeezed middle’ beats out ‘occupy’, ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘tiger mother’ to win the OED’s word of the year
Israeli settlers are increasingly threatening and outright attacking Israelis they consider traitors. The actions are the “price tag” for supporting Palestinian, anti-settler causes. Matthew Bell reports.
Continental Airlines opens up a new route today: a direct daily flight from Houston to, Nigeria. But the State Department warns there’s high risk of terrorist attack in Nigeria. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with John Campbell, former US ambassador to Nigeria, about the threat posed by the Islamic extremist movement, “Boko Haram”.
In this week’s World in Words podcast, a conversation with three Australians about language, culture and history. Thomas Keneally, Deborah Cheetham and Kate Grenville discuss the myths and secrets of Aboriginal languages, the rhetoric of official apologies, and the magnificent prose of legendary bush ranger Ned Kelly.
Hengeilivable! Nonsensical English words and phrases are all the rage among young Chinese.
For today’s Geo Quiz we’re searching for one of the lowest points on the surface of the earth. If you were to stand on the shore of this inland sea, you’d be at 1400 feet below sea level. And this body of water is salty – nearly 10 times saltier than ocean water, so it’s sometimes called the Salt Sea.
Anchor Marco Werman talks to British crime novelist and Bangkok resident, John Burdett, about his perspective on the recent flooding in the Thai capital.
Why human translators aren’t afraid of machine translators. Also, a history of translation, and a new novel that draws on The Iliad.
Corporations love to tinker with spelling, often with disastrous consequences. Also, a film explores fears about Chinese.
In this week’s World in Words podcast, Beijing urges mandatory calligraphy classes for school kids.
An interview with writer and actor Stephen Fry, who has made a series on language for BBC TV.
Podcast: Almost no place on earth is remote any more, as a linguist discovers when he spends a year in an Inuit village.
Should diplomats learn the languages of the countries they’re assigned to? And how easy is it to learn a foreign musical language?
In this week’s World in Words podcast, what happens after a state bans bilingual education? And toilet talk with a US vs UK English expert.
The Iranian nuclear plant of Bushehr is being launched Monday after years of delays.
