Linguistic surrealism from China to Belgium

On the World in Words podcast, the trials, tribulations and silliness of living in Belgium, where most people define themselves not by nationality but by mother tongue. Also, arrested Chinese artist Ai Weiwei wrote a blog that was, if anything, even more provocative than his art. We hear from his English translator. And the latest children’s TV hit in the UK features Jamaican-British musical mice, with dialects that offend English purists.

Language-learning in Europe, and free speech in Tunisia

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In this week’s World in Words podcast: The French government is proposing that children start learning English at age three. Good idea, say some French intellectuals, but why English? In Ireland, the incoming government wants to end mandatory Irish learning in schools. And Anglo-Middle Eastern singer Natacha Atlas is singing about free speech in Egypt and beyond. Download MP3

Language adoption, and the future of spelling

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In this week’s World in Words podcast, an attempt to get Belgians to adopt families online from across that country’s language divide. Also, in Montenegro, the government is promoting what it calls the Montenegrin language, formerly considered a dialect of Serbo-Croatian. Plus, a discussion on what happens to spelling in the age of Spell Check and Google.
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Bilingual romance in Paris, “whatever” in Mexico, and the fog of Pentagon acronyms in Afghanistan

Novelist Vanina Marsot’s new novel “Foreign Tongue” is about French, English, being bilingual, and translation. If you’re a fan of false cognates, this one is for you. Also, a Spanish expression beloved by Mexicans, and the Pentagon latest acronyms. Listen