Subtitle

Dementia stole my grandma's memory and our common language


Listen Later

Memory is a mysterious thing. A few years ago my grandmother had a series of strokes and dementia set in. She's a polyglot, she speaks seven languages. But suddenly, post stroke she started speaking a mixture of Polish and Russian -- two languages that my family doesn't speak. She's stuck in this linguistic fog and nobody in my family can find our way through. And I wondered why does the brain latch on to one language and not another? This week on the World in Words podcast we delve into dementia and bilingualism. I speak with two scientists Ellen Bialystok a psychology professor at York University in Canada and Thomas Bak a neuropsychologist at the University of Edinburgh about their research into dementia and bilingualism. You’ll also get to hear from the expert, my grandmother, and hear a bit of my own crackpot theory as to why she’s chosen to speak Polish and Russian.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

SubtitleBy Quiet Juice

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

646 ratings


More shows like Subtitle

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,097 Listeners

Living on Earth by World Media Foundation

Living on Earth

465 Listeners

Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen by PRX

Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen

664 Listeners

Latino USA by Futuro Media and PRX

Latino USA

3,742 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,649 Listeners

Afropop Worldwide by Afropop Worldwide

Afropop Worldwide

306 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,909 Listeners

Live Wire with Luke Burbank by PRX

Live Wire with Luke Burbank

319 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,718 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,173 Listeners

The World by PRX

The World

911 Listeners

Snap Judgment by Snap Judgment and PRX

Snap Judgment

11,517 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,137 Listeners

To The Best Of Our Knowledge by Wisconsin Public Radio

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

926 Listeners

The History of English Podcast by Kevin Stroud

The History of English Podcast

6,361 Listeners

The Kitchen Sisters Present by The Kitchen Sisters & Radiotopia

The Kitchen Sisters Present

1,270 Listeners

Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

Reveal

8,238 Listeners

Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Gastropod

3,604 Listeners

Invisibilia by NPR

Invisibilia

21,655 Listeners

The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman

The Allusionist

3,011 Listeners

Lingthusiasm - A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne

Lingthusiasm - A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics

628 Listeners

The Science of Happiness by PRX and Greater Good Science Center

The Science of Happiness

1,880 Listeners

Suave by Futuro Media

Suave

1,511 Listeners

The Atlas Obscura Podcast by SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

1,645 Listeners

Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios by Lexicon Valley

Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

530 Listeners