Language Nerds Do Earth

Are you a travel AND a nature lover? Come learn about the top 7 destinations you should check out, the natural wonders of the world!

Where to start? There are countless ways that society oppresses women on every corner of the globe. Today, look a little closer at only three: witch hunts, Chinese foot binding, and genital mutilation. Trigger warning: we discuss some difficult details. If you’re squeamish, proceed with caution. But learning about the horrors of history is important, … Continue reading Episode 63: The Horrific Cultural Oppression of Women

Welcome back to episode 62, everybody! It’s time to get REAL NERDY and examine some language isolates. Let’s go on a trip around the world to learn about Burushaski in Pakistan and India, Mapuche in Chile and Argentina, and — of course — Basque in Spain and a bit of France. We’ll explore the culture … Continue reading Episode 62: Amazing Language Isolates

In language news this week, if you’ve ever noticed that it’s difficult to conjure up mental images in another languages, you’re not alone. Scientists have confirmed that it is harder to do this than in your home language. In other words, thinking in a second language hinders your imagination! Next, we learn about what people … Continue reading Episode 61: Travel Stereotypes

Have you ever wondered to yourself, "Maybe someday for funsies I'll try living in a country run by a fascist government!"? Well today is your lucky day, because we're making it easier for you to try and spot one.

We've talked a lot about learning other languages, but how about teaching them? This week, Patrice and Rachel are joined by special guest Saurabh Anand to discuss the path of teaching English to non-native speakers from three very different experiences.

Do you really think something is beautiful, or is that your culturally-driven ideal? Why do we have these ideals? Do they matter? These are all questions we may or may not explore in this episode.

In this week’s episode, we take a look at native accents in English, German, and Chinese. There are so many varieties of languages, and this great diversity adds incredible depth to any language. While we could spend episodes for each language, this is an overview of some of the many varieties you may find in … Continue reading Episode 56: Accents Within Languages

This week's travel-themed episode is on NOT traveling and what you can do instead, besides watching Netflix and contemplating your navel, which, let's be honest, are also pretty great options compared to getting or spreading CoVid-19.

This week we are coming at you with a mythological creature we all know and love: the dragon. When we say “all,” we mean that (pretty much) literally. It turns out that the dragon is one of the most universal creatures that exists in folklore, and so we will spend some time talking about why, … Continue reading Episode 54: Dragons!