The Compass

Dialects and Evolution


Listen Later

Robin Lustig explores language change and diversity, as he asks whether English is fragmenting into multiple dialects or becoming increasingly uniform. In Kampala Robin polishes up his Uglish and he finds out how Hinglish, Tamglish and Spanglish are evolving in India and the US.

And everywhere he goes, Robin seeks out new words and phrases as he tracks linguistic change from social media and the streets through a California campus to the corridors of the Oxford English Dictionary. Sorting his memes from his muggles, spotting milkshake ducks and phubbing, Robin explores the future of English in the virtual world and the real one.

(Photo: A Spanglish sign which reads Vote Aqui Hoy. Credit: Getty Images)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The CompassBy BBC World Service

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

98 ratings


More shows like The Compass

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,412 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

381 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,843 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

162 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,909 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,050 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

344 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

901 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

963 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,925 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,081 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,905 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

248 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

832 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

403 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

748 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

480 Listeners

How to Invent a Country by BBC Radio 4

How to Invent a Country

69 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,121 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

742 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,985 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

13,109 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,289 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,107 Listeners