PODCAST · education
The Language Revolution
by The Language Revolution
As the UK faces a languages crisis, with numbers dropping up to 50% in take-up of GCSE Modern Languages since 2003 and a £48bn deficit in the UK economy due to a shortage of linguists, join languages teacher and entrepreneur Cate Hamilton as she talks to scientists, linguists, wordsmiths, and other interested guests about why being multilingual is (and always has been) normal, and why linguistics matters now more than ever. Let's talk about talking!
Episodes
-
Episode 25: What was language learning like 400 years ago?
What would language learning YouTube have been like in 1580? Was Queen Elizabeth I really a polyglot? Who was teaching and learning languages in 1600s London? Early Modern historian John Gallagher and Cate talk about what it was like learning languages in England at a time when English was a...
-
Episode 24: Speak standard English!
There’s regularly talk of ‘correct’ or ‘standard’ language in the media and on Twitter. Some people apparently wear their bad grammar like a badge of honour or refuse to learn the 'correct' way of speaking because, the critics say, it makes them look cooler or ‘down with the kids’. And don’t even...
-
Episode 23: Grammar... friend or foe?
Let's talk about the G-word: grammar. It’s a bit of a Marmite subject. People seem to love it or hate it, and for some it is a trigger word. There is often a conflation of linguistics with the ‘naming of parts’ and subjects, verbs and objects. Grammar can be a real bone of contention in education...
-
Episode 22: Speech and language therapy.
We don't often understand the process of learning to talk until we need speech and language therapy. It’s something parents have little information about. We hear a lot about sleeping, eating, and walking, but talking is a bit of a mystery subject. That is, until it goes wrong. Parents might then...
-
Episode 21: EAL – where to start?
The term 'EAL' gets more airtime in educational circles these days because our world is becoming more super diverse. This means that our schools have more children who are learning English. But does 'EAL', which is short for 'English as an Additional Language', simply mean a child doesn't speak...
-
Episode 20: How can we navigate bilingual education?
There's a wealth of information on the Internet about bilingual education and raising bilingual kids. But for parents or teachers navigating their way through an online search, it often feels overwhelming. Facts can get taken out of context, and statistics from research are quoted as if they are...
-
Episode 19: Why study languages at university?
Over the last decade, more than ten universities in the UK have closed their modern languages departments, and there is a steep decline in the uptake of languages at GCSE, A Level and at university. Are we too late to reverse this trend? How can we empower teachers to feel confident about…
more -
Episode 18: Trolling, trust and language education.
How are trolling, trust and language education linked? What have Shakespeare, Dickens and French classes got to do with GDPR or Trump's tweets? In part two of our discussion, Dr Yin Yin Lu and I talk about the dark side of communicating on social media, whether we can trust current regulation...
-
Episode 17: Time for a communication revolution?
There's no denying that communication has rapidly changed in the last thirty years, but are we humans keeping up with technology that we are creating? Social media platforms give us many new contexts in which to create and consume communication. How has the way we talk and behave changed since…
more -
Episode 16: How can we reimagine MFL education?
How can we help our students take the imaginative leap into a new culture and place, and get them excited about learning through the target language? What can we do to create a culturally meaningful, fairer, more purposeful, and less contrived MFL curriculum in the UK? Would these ideas also help...
-
Episode 15: How do we transform the MFL curriculum?
Several of the podcast episodes so far have looked at alternative approaches to teaching language and languages in school, such as creative translation, multilingual poetry, and introducing concepts from the science of linguistics more explicitly from an early age. But why do we need to reform...
-
Episode 14: Why translation is important.
Wondering how translation works, or why translation is important? Won't Google Translate and AI just take over from human translation soon anyway? In Episode 14, Cate talks to Dr Charlotte Ryland, director of the Stephen Spender Trust and Queen's College Translation Exchange, about what…
more -
Episode 13: What if we taught language through poetry?
English is a mad pidgin language made up of archaic rules and brand new ones, and constantly changing. Grammar is not fundamental to learning a language: stories and images are fundamental. Kate Clanchy argues that idioms are the most important thing, and that all the unlistable connections, and...
-
Episode 12: How does writing poetry help us find our voice?
Is poetry the preserve of the elite, or can anyone, from anywhere, write a poem worth reading? In Episode 12, Cate talks to award-winning poet, teacher, and encourager of creative writing Kate Clanchy. Her students come from diverse and sometimes difficult backgrounds, and now find themselves...
-
Episode 11: What happens if your voice is silenced?
Our voices matter to us, and having a voice is central to our experience as humans. But what if our voice is silenced, or gets taken away, or manipulated by the media? This is the experience of many refugees and migrants. In Episode 11, Cate talks about talking to the founder of Conversations…
more -
Episode 10: Have we got our approach to teaching language right?
In this extended episode, we hear Michael Rosen on education and this thing called 'Literacy'. Is it the same as literature? Is Literacy a good approach for teaching children about languages and how we use them? What tips does Michael have for teachers to encourage children to love words? Is...
-
Episode 9: How can we play with language through talk, poetry and writing?
If children love the sound and feel of words, then why don't we all grow up to be writers and poets? In this episode, Cate talks to poet, writer and children's literature expert Michael Rosen about how we go from playing with language as young children, to becoming confident (or not-so-confident)...
-
Episode 8: How can linguistics help teachers?
What's the scariest two-word horror story? English grammar. If linguistics is the Mount Everest of subjects, then grammar contributes to altitude sickness in all but the most experienced climbers. In this episode, Cate talks to linguistics expert Professor David Crystal about why linguistics...
-
Episode 7: What's in an accent?
Scouse? Cockney? Received Pronunciation? Do you speak with an accent? Join Cate in discussion with Professor David Crystal and Ben Crystal about English accents past and present. What did a London accent sound like in Shakespeare's day compared to today? Is there a 'standard' accent we should aim...
-
Episode 6: How can Shakespeare help us talk to each other?
If Shakespeare were alive today, would he be a public speaking coach helping business leaders and professionals 'talk like TED'? In the sixth episode of The Language Revolution Podcast, Cate talks to actor, writer and producer Ben Crystal about oracy and the art of speaking in public, and whether...
-
Episode 5: What is the best way to raise bilingual children?
Is there a recipe for raising bilingual children? In Episode 5 we discuss the prevalent myths around bilingualism, such as whether children will get confused learning two or more languages, and explore different methods of introducing languages at home even if parents are not themselves...
-
Episode 4: How do we learn to speak?
Talking. It's easy right? But how does a baby learn to speak? What are the stages? And how can parents support the process of language acquisition? In this fourth episode of The Language Revolution Podcast, Cate talks to Dr Katerina Kantartzis about tuning into a baby's conversational cues, what…
more -
Episode 3: How can we solve the UK languages crisis?
Have the Brits always been 'rubbish at languages' or are we just experiencing a period of linguistic inertia? Since everyone speaks English, is there much point in learning foreign languages? In the third part of their discussion, Cate Hamilton and Thomas Bak look at why languages are not just a...
-
Episode 2: When is the best age to learn a language?
Is there a perfect age to learn a language? Is it ever too late to start? Should the NHS prescribe languages to older adults? What if you already have dementia, is it too late then? Join linguist and teacher Cate Hamilton as she explores these questions with neuroscientist Thomas Bak and tries to...
-
Episode 1: Is it normal to speak more than one language?
As the UK faces a languages crisis, with numbers dropping up to 50% in take-up of GCSE Modern Languages since 2003 and a £48bn deficit in the UK economy due to a shortage of linguists, join languages teacher and entrepreneur Cate Hamilton and neuroscientist Thomas Bak as they discuss how humans...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
As the UK faces a languages crisis, with numbers dropping up to 50% in take-up of GCSE Modern Languages since 2003 and a £48bn deficit in the UK economy due to a shortage of linguists, join languages teacher and entrepreneur Cate Hamilton as she talks to scientists, linguists, wordsmiths, and other interested guests about why being multilingual is (and always has been) normal, and why linguistics matters now more than ever. Let's talk about talking!
HOSTED BY
The Language Revolution
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Language Revolution have?
The Language Revolution currently has 25 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Language Revolution about?
As the UK faces a languages crisis, with numbers dropping up to 50% in take-up of GCSE Modern Languages since 2003 and a £48bn deficit in the UK economy due to a shortage of linguists, join languages teacher and entrepreneur Cate Hamilton as she talks to scientists, linguists, wordsmiths, and other...
How often does The Language Revolution release new episodes?
The Language Revolution has 25 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Language Revolution?
You can listen to The Language Revolution 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 The Language Revolution?
The Language Revolution is created and hosted by The Language Revolution.
URL copied to clipboard!