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English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC podcast artwork

PODCAST · education

English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC

by The Open University

How has the English language influenced your life? How would you define your relationship with English? In this collection these questions are explored by Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, writer Sindiwe Magona, and author Jung Chang amongst others. They discuss the impact of the language; and describe the part English has played in their life. For many of us the language can broaden experiences and opportunities, for others it can create obstacles and become a hindrance. How often do you change they way you speak to adapt to different environments or accommodate other peoples assumptions? Can we get an insight into who people are by how the use grammar and pronounce words? In a series of conversations we’re given access to the varying perspectives on the English language from a range of personal experiences.This material forms part of The Open University course U214 Worlds of English.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Jan 27, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. Benjamin Zephaniah

    Benjamin Zephaniah describes his love for the organic nature of English language.

  2. Colin Goh

    Colin Goh explains how English influenced his life growing up in Singapore.

  3. Derek Simpson

    Derek Simpson discusses how growing up in a working class area changed his accent.

  4. Garth Judd

    Garth Judd describes his experience adapting his accent to accommodate different environments.

  5. Jennifer Childs

    Jennifer Childs explains how she's inherited elements of her mothers speaking habits.

  6. Jung Chang

    Jung Chang considers the experience of growing up under Mao and how that affected her access to English.

  7. Li Xing

    Li Xing describes her relationship with the English language and how it altered her career.

  8. Megumi Kato Inman

    Megumi Kato Inman debates the benefits and obstacles of belonging to different cultures.

  9. Najabulo Ndebele

    Najabulo Ndebele explains as a child he was unaware that English was a bi-product of colonialism.

  10. Roline Salomons

    Roline Salomons talks about how young she was when she was exposed to English.

  11. Sindiwe Magona

    Sindiwe Magona reminisces about how she couldn't decipher English as a child.

  12. Vatsala Vedantam

    Vatsala Vedantam explains how the English language helped unify her family.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

How has the English language influenced your life? How would you define your relationship with English? In this collection these questions are explored by Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, writer Sindiwe Magona, and author Jung Chang amongst others. They discuss the impact of the language; and describe the part English has played in their life. For many of us the language can broaden experiences and opportunities, for others it can create obstacles and become a hindrance. How often do you change they way you speak to adapt to different environments or accommodate other peoples assumptions? Can we get an insight into who people are by how the use grammar and pronounce words? In a series of conversations we’re given access to the varying perspectives on the English language from a range of personal experiences.This material forms part of The Open University course U214 Worlds of English.

HOSTED BY

The Open University

Produced by Clint Trofa

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC have?

English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC currently has 24 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC about?

How has the English language influenced your life? How would you define your relationship with English? In this collection these questions are explored by Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, writer Sindiwe Magona, and author Jung Chang amongst others. They discuss the impact of the language; and describe the...

How often does English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC release new episodes?

English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC has 24 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC?

You can listen to English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC?

English: Personal Experiences - for iPad/Mac/PC is created and hosted by The Open University.
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