Our guest, Kurt Wagner, a native of Illinois, can look back at a long connection to Austria. He first worked as a diplomat at the American embassy in Vienna in the 80's and later returned to Austria to work as a lawyer. Today, he is the president of the Austro-American Society in Carinthia, which started as an organisation founded with the goal of relieving famine in post-war Austria and which has turned into a community that strives to improve intercultural connections between Austria and the United States. The Austro-American Society in Carinthia offers regular meetings, known as "Stammtische", with a special emphasis on interpersonal rather than digital exchanges as well as annual celebrations such as the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It also provides assistance for students interested in participating in the Fulbright Program.

If you want to know more about the Austro-American Society, please visit their website, follow them on Facebook, or listen to their own radio channel, WEL Radio 105.5.

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or let us know which parts of the US you have already visited. 

Blake Shedd, host

Gert Ofner, host

Kurt Wagner, guest

Oars at the ready, dear listeners--today we hear from Alexandra Truppe, the Managing Director of the Carinthian International Center (CIC), based in Villach. The CIC offers a treasure trove of information and bounteous assistance to professionals moving to Austria. Navigating the (at-times treacherous) bureaucratic waters requires a steady hand, and with Alexandra and her great international team at the helm, any international professional is sure to arrive safe in Carinthia (did we mention there's a beautiful lake?). The CIC is a great organization for internationals and also for locals, the combination of which makes for exciting language and cultural exchange. Sign up today to be a CIC member and help make Carinthia even more welcoming for international professionals!

For more information on the upcoming events and how to sign up as a member, check out these links:

• Talk about Taxation in Austria 2026 (June 11 @ 18:00, University of Klagenfurt)
• Language Brunch 2026 (June 20 @ 11:00, Café Seerose in Latschach)
• further upcoming events
• CIC Membership
• Follow the CIC on Instagram (@cic4u)

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or sign up for the Dragonboat race.

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host

Alexandra Truppe, guest

Ever thought of gaining some exprience abroad during your studies? The international office has several options to offer, and Barbara Bračić joins us to give you all the key details regarding the programmes, grants, and applications. From internships spanning a few weeks up to several months, summer schools, language courses, to research placements, the International Office has the perfect option and its staff are super-eager to help you find the programme right for you! Remember - the early Lindwurm gets the grant, so inquire early!

Students who are interested in going abroad can find more information on the International Office's website. For questions, reach out to them at [email protected], or stop by during office hours (Monday to Thursday from 9 to 11) in room number O.1.25.

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or find out where you're supposed to sign your CV.

Tamara Urach, host

Blake Shedd, host

Barbara Bračić, guest

Klagenfurt grey has finally departed and been replaced by Celovec blue, which means... SPRING HAS SPRUNG! Silliness aside, this episode is pretty silly so--buckle up! We run through the history of April Fools' Day and the many possible origins of Easter, which supposedly goes back to the Germanic goddess of fertility and spring: Ēostre (also Ostara in Old High German). Thanks for sticking with us through the cold winter; we hope you take us with you on your springtime walks. There are many more great episodes to come (you'll get a brief preview of these in the episode), and much more silliness!

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or paint Easter eggs with us.

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host

We travel virtually to the islands of New Zealand today with our two guests, Marta and Alexander, who both research Māori and New Zealand Englishes (that's right--English can be plural!). Delving straight into the research project they're working on, we cover lots of ground relating to how these different Englishes work linguistically speaking (in terms of pragmatics, semantics, etc.). Of special note is one aspect of Māori that makes it very interesting is its level of polysemy (words having more than one meaning).

You'll hear several Māori words in the episode, so we thought a link might help out if you want to look them up: Te ake (Māori Dictionary) (with audio recordings of the words!). Here are some of the words you'll hear: waka (canoe), marae (courtyard), marae ātea (courtyard, public forum), pepeha (trival saying, motto, proverb), wharenui (meeting house), whare kai (dining hall), and whenua (land, country, placenta). N.B. in Māori represents the /f/ sound.

In our discussion of the preservation and use of Māori in the private and public spheres, you'll also encounter a few school types: kōhanga reo (Māori language preschool), kura kaupapa (Māori primary school), wānanga (Māori tertiary school).

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or tell us about your whenua. 

Blake Shedd, host

Dr. Marta Degani, guest

Dr. Alexander Onysko, guest

In this episode, our colleague Alex is talking about the impact music has had on his life. While (autodidactically) learning both the keyboard and the guitar early on in his life, he has since switched to producing his own rap music under his alter ego LX Dro. Growing up with music like Linkin Park, System of a Down, and Billy Talent made him appreciate the art and magic of music from a young age while rap has, later in his life, opened up a new world for him--not only in terms of music production but also when it comes to research. Some of his most favourite artists in rap culture, like Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, and Young Thug, address societal issues and political themes that he is analysing from a linguistic perspective in his MA thesis.

Today we also cover how ubiquitous music has become in our modern lives and how using different languages in music can enhance different personality traits (we think Wittgenstein would agree--die Grenzen meiner Sprache sind die Grenzen meiner Emotionen).

Check out Alex's music on his YouTube channel @LX Dro. We specifically mentioned his song Coppin' Cars!

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or drop Alex a beat.

Tamara Urach, host

Alexander Striessnig, guest

Look who the wind blew in again! Julian Mullen is back on the mic, ready to dive headfirst into a conversation about Saint Patrick and all things Irish with us--all while rocking a Guinness hoodie (sans harp!)! As February rolls into March, Ireland seems to move through its very own season of celebrations: Not only does Saint Patrick draw people into warm and cosy pubs on March 17, but ever since 2023 Saint Brigid's Day on February 1st has been an official holiday in Ireland--reviving ancient Celtic traditions tied to Imbolc, the festival of light and fire and the beginning of spring. We talk a little bit about Saint Brigid's Crosses, the story of Saint Patrick (or Pádraig), traditions surrounding the celebration beyond clichés, real and authentic pub culture, Irish dancing, and the Irish Nation's voice on an international stage. Even though Tamara winds Julian up (and any Irish person) by calling Brigid a Queen (THERE IS NO QUEEN OR KING IN IRELAND), she did have her redemption arc and was a bit proud when Julian wanted to declare her Honorary Ambassador for Ireland for defending the art of pouring Guinness--at least withing the confines of this podcast.

Make sure to check out the Pangur Bán poem, and the Fields of Athenry (e.g. the football match here). Don't forget to drop by McMullen's Klagenfurt (or Villach) on March 14th (19:00) and March 17th (19:00) to enjoy some Irish dancing, music from Gran Turismo, or a Jameson on the house in case you wear something green (by that we mean proper shamrock green!).

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or learn how to turn water into beer with us.

Tamara Urach, host

Blake Shedd, host

Julian Mullen, guest

P.S.: Neither Ötzi nor DJ Ötzi are/were Celts. ;)

Mind your P's and F's, polks! In our new series, Saturday Morning Linguistics (not to be confused with Saturday morning cartoons), we talk about linguistics in everyday life. In this first episode we start with something historical, namely Grimm's Law. What does this have to do with everyday lingustics, you ask? Well, we've got an answer - tune it to us chatting about how English and German are related and how this law explains language contact over long periods of time. Grab a pen (Latin: penna 'feather') to keep track of all the examples that show a systematic relationship between Germanic and Romance languages. We struggle with pronunciation sometimes but hope you can decipher what we're saying (Tamara wants to apologise to all Italian speakers everywhere for butchering their language).

We mentioned the Indo-European language tree graphic by Minna Sundberg (Guardian article here), the map for translations across Europe, the Map Men on YouTube, and Jakub Marian's maps.

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or inquire about other Grimm familial relations.

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host

Julia, guest

Welcome back, Kotter (if you get this reference, you might have been born before 1980)! ... And happy halfiversary to our podcast! Today we fill you in on all the great things to come in the summer term (and mention some of the great podcasts from last term). Be sure to add the Media Club and the World Poetry Day celebration to your social calendar. We've changed things up a bit with how we publish the episodes, so be on the lookout for Saturday Morning Linguistics (first Saturday of every month) and bonus episodes (every now and then). Stay tuned for more!

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or submit your own soundfile for an audio effect.

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host

Recorded with RØDECaster Pro II, borrowed from the CULT.

Some call it the study-bible, some call it difficult to read--either way, the curriculum is an important document to understand as a university student. To be precise, we are talking about two different curricula for programmes the Department of English offers. Today's podcast features two guests that are curriculum-experts in their respective programmes. While Samuel is here to guide us through the Bachelor of Arts curriculum of the Worlds of English programme, Matthias has come in to talk a little bit about the one for the Lehramt programme since both differ from each other in terms of coursework and scope. Should any questions for either one of the curricula arise after listening to the episode, contact Samuel or Matthias (or the extended SPL Team).

Here are a couple of useful links that we mentioned...

- the BA curriculum

- the BEd curriculum

- the Info-sheet for BEd theses & the "Betreuungsvereinbarung"

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or let us know which level of the curriculum you are currently playing.

Tamara Urach, host

Samuel Paul, guest, SPL-Assistant extraordinaire

Matthias Petutschnig, guest, SPL-Assistant extraordinaire