The World in Words

Extracted text from https://www.pri.org:

Skip to content PLAY HEART ROWS Main menu The World in Words

The World in Words podcast is about language everything from bilingual education to the globalization of English to Icelandic insults. Hosted by The World's Patrick Cox. Subscribe to the podcast:RSS|iTunes

clock Newest Stories chat Most Commented Lifestyle & Belief

'What a total God shot!' Understand that? Then you speak Christianese. The World in Words March 29, 2017 Linguists call Christianese an emerging religiolect, spoken mainly by evangelical protestants. Christians themselves are divided on whether it's helpful to use such coded language.

Arts, Culture & Media

Arabic has a Jewish dialect, and these women speak it The World in Words March 16, 2017 The Arab world used to be home to hundreds of thousands of Jews who spoke their own variants of Arabic. Today, Judeo-Arabic survives only in exile. We hear stories of language and exodus from three Judeo-Arabic speakers now living in Montreal. Plus, novelist Louie Cronin on satirizing linguistics.

Arts, Culture & Media

Why the English word 'black' became the new 'noir' in France The World in Words February 28, 2017 Many French people favor the English word "black" over the local equivalent "noir." Why? There's a history behind it that dates back decades in fact, two histories: the French version seeks to be color-blind while the American one recognizes race at every turn.

Arts, Culture & Media

2017 feels almost as strange as this writer's dystopian vision of Iraq in 2103 The World in Words February 14, 2017 The satirical fiction of Mosul-born Anoud targets ISIS, the international community and even refugees.

Arts, Culture & Media

American soft power has helped this Kenyan man's efforts to ensure a future for his mother tongue The World in Words January 26, 2017 Ekegusii is spoken by about two million Kenyans but has been losing ground to Swahili and English. Now it is taught in some schools, thanks to local language activists assisted by American linguists.

Arts, Culture & Media

Translating Trump literally The World in Words January 19, 2017 In English, Trump's name connotes a certain grandiosity, but how well does it translate into other languages? This week on the World in Words podcast, translating Trump.

Arts, Culture & Media

The first cousin of the English language is alive and well in the Netherlands The World in Words December 23, 2016 You may have never heard of Frisian. But it is spoken by more than 300,000 people, and its revitalization is a model for other small, struggling languages.

Arts, Culture & Media

How an ancient word about a bird became a slur used by white supremacists The World in Words December 14, 2016 A word that continues to catch a lot of people's attention post-election: cuck. This slur, which has roots to the old word "cuckold," has been adopted by white supremacist groups, or the so-called "alt-right."

Arts, Culture & Media

How the Swahili language took hold across Africa, and beyond The World in Words November 22, 2016 How did Swahili go from a small Bantu dialect spoken in Zanzibar to a major language all over the African continent?

Conflict & Justice

The Standing Rock Sioux are also fighting for their language The World in Words November 18, 2016 Standing Rock is more than a movement for clean water rights. It's also where the Lakota language is re-inventing itself.

Load more

Brought to you by:

The Sara & Evan Williams Foundation Maureen and Michael Ruettgers The National Endowment for the Humanities

Major funding provided by:

Arts, Culture & MediaBusiness, Economics and JobsConflict & JusticeDevelopment & EducationGlobal PoliticsHealth & MedicineLifestyle & BeliefScience, Tech & EnvironmentSports About PRIContact usMeet the PRI.org TeamDonateSponsorshipPrivacy policyTerms of use 2016Public Radio International

close DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT. Give today and your contribution will be matched. DONATE >