Language Nut - a Multilingual Podcast

*podcast for people interested in languages and linguistics*

I have studied a lot of languages. But there’s a big catch. They’re all Indo-European.

In this video, I reflect on my experience of learning languages, the often-overlooked advantages of linguistic familiarity, and why some languages can feel so much more accessible than others.

Drawing on examples from vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and even the metaphors we use to understand the world, I explore how the languages we already speak can influence the way we approach new ones.

I also discuss why I've found learning Mandarin so different from learning languages like Greek or Russian, despite some aspects of Mandarin being remarkably logical and straightforward.

Ultimately, I question what it really means for a language to be difficult, whether our perceptions of difficulty are shaped by familiarity, and how learning languages from entirely different linguistic backgrounds might challenge the assumptions we've developed along the way.

As I prepare to take my Mandarin studies much more seriously, I'm excited to explore a completely different linguistic world.

I'd love to hear your experiences. Have you ever learned a language very different from those you already speak? What did you find most surprising or challenging?

Sources:

1. ​ The Open University. Discovering Ancient Greek and Latin: Family Resemblances (https://www.open.edu/o.... Accessible discussion of Indo-European ancestry and William Jones's 1786 argument.

1. ​ Calvert Watkins (2000). The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots (https://books.google.c.... A useful reference for inherited vocabulary and reconstructed Proto-Indo-European roots.

1. ​ Y.-H. Audrey Li (2016). Verbs and Verb Phrases (https://www.cambridge...., in A Reference Grammar of Chinese, Cambridge University Press. Covers Chinese verb morphology and grammatical structure.

1. ​ Xiao, Zhao and Chen (2018). Both Earlier Times and the Future Are 'Front' (https://doi.org/10.111..., Cognitive Science. Useful for explaining Chinese temporal metaphors accurately.

1. ​ Poppy Siahaan (2008). Did He Break Your Heart or Your Liver? (https://doi.org/10.151..., in Culture, Body, and Language, pp. 45–74. The source for the Indonesian metaphor.

1. ​ Theraphan L-Thongkum and Chommanad Intajamornrak (2008). Tonal Evolution Induced by Language Contact (https://sealang.net/sa..., Mon-Khmer Studies, 38, pp. 57–68. Documents the development of tones in Mal.

1. ​ Nicholas Evans (2018). Acoustics of Tone in Indian Punjabi (https://doi.org/10.111..., Transactions of the Philological Society, 116(3), pp. 509–528. An example of lexical tone in an Indo-European language.

1. ​ Interagency Language Roundtable. ILR Theory and Practice (https://govtilr.org/Pu.... Contains Foreign Service Institute estimates of learning time for different languages, based on native English-speaking learners.

1. ​ Stephen Krashen (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. The foundational statement of his distinction between conscious learning and acquisition through comprehensible input.

1. ​ Lydia White (1987). Against Comprehensible Input: The Input Hypothesis and the Development of Second-language Competence (https://doi.org/10.109..., Applied Linguistics, 8(2), pp. 95–110. A useful critical counterpoint to Krashen.

Music: @DjQuadsOfficial - Birds and The Bees

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfiSLmZcFmaHpWfbVVYouSA

Thank you so much for watching :)

Don’t forget to follow me on instagram @reubenlingo or watch this podcast in video form @reubenlingo on YouTube!

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 23 years old and I’m from the Uk. I am learning 11 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

This episode is the first after a long pause. I talk about what has been going on in my life as a student and content creator, and my plans for the next few months. I express my gratitude toward every one of you for listening and for your comments of support, and look forward to creating many more episodes in the near future!

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I am learning 11 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

This episode is an interview with a fellow content creator and linguist - the owner of the Easy Greek podcast and YouTube channel - Dimitris Hall!

In this episode we discuss the present and future of language learning through authentic content, as well as his adventures learning languages including Japanese !

We made an episode in greek on his podcast here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/03OIaoAhUBte4HFmqZca7a?si=Yyww5irHS967298eEfAdHw

Easy Greek channel: https://youtube.com/@easygreekvideos?si=0dLFeX5kQbAWUgf2

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I am learning 11 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

This episode is an interview with an upcoming journalist who has a fascinating relationship with the English language. He is a non-native speaker and yet within a very short time in the UK has reached an exceptional level of academic and informal English - excuse the cliché but literally better than native speakers. Can you guess what country he is from?

Follow him on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mikhail-shklover-833671262

Or instagram @mikhailshlover

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I am learning 11 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

This episode is an interview with Stephania, a Greek linguist and entrepreneur and the creator of Speak Greek to Me. We had a fascinating conversation about growing up bilingual, raising a multilingual child and the future of language learning.

https://speakgreektome.com

Stephania’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakgreektome_com?igsh=aWx6MDE5MDFqeW9q

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I love learning languages, I can speak 10 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

This episode is an interview with Jeffrey Pendleton - a PhD student at the University of Cambridge who researches whether the language you speak can affect your memory, particularly your perception of time. You can follow him on instagram @cambridgeunigram or follow one of the links below:

Research Participant Recruitment: https://jrlp.me/participate-in-my-research/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jefferypendleton?_t=ZN-8wXs6x6pwcI&_r=1

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jrlp2?si=0f-ZSubRYCNgqyaB

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HtJ2qKUYa/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I love learning languages, I can speak 10 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

This episode is the second part of my interview with Vale - an exceptional linguist and language teacher from Chile. You can follow her on Instagram @valevoyage where she shares language learning advice and Chilean culture. If you enjoyed the episode then why not send her a message ?!

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I love learning languages, I can speak 10 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

In this episode, I interview an exceptional linguist and language teacher from Chile named Vale. You can follow her on Instagram @valevoyage where she shares language learning advice and Chilean culture. If you enjoyed the episode then why not send her a message ?!

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I love learning languages, I can speak 10 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

In this episode, I talk about my experience of learning a language and living in the country where this language is spoken. Is it useful? Is it necessary? What are the pros and cons?

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

Hi! I’m Reuben, I’m 22 years old and I’m from the Uk. I love learning languages, I can speak 10 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related.

In this episode, I interview a very talented linguist and good friend of mine - Max. She shares her multilingual story as well as some fascinating linguistic and cultural insights. She is also a master of French accents ! (Bonus section at the end where we speak French together!)

Thanks so much for listening :D

Send me a message on Instagram @reubenlingo

Send me an email [email protected]

Send me a donation via PayPal:

https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB