Talk It Up!

Talk It Up!

By Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben AinsleySociety & CultureEducation
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Talk It Up! episodes

  • English Plurals
    Is it octopus or octopi? Mongoose or mongeese? English plurals can be tricky sometimes, and it's partly because of our fascinating history. So how do we choose which plurals to use when?
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley (both individually and as a group) find the answers for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Synaesthesia
    Do you think of the number three as having a particular colour? Or do you associate letters with a certain sound? If so, you may be synaesthetic. Synaesthetes experience some senses in terms of other senses.
    All of us are at least mildly synaesthetic; it's easy for us to think of things in other terms, and we speak as though this is so. We look into the insights that synaesthesia can provide into how we perceive language. 
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley get in touch (and in sight, taste and sound!) for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Palindromes
    Anyone who loves words has probably noticed palindromes. They're words or phrases that read the same forward and backward.
    But palindromes aren't just for fun. They have an interesting place in history, showing up in places as diverse as Ancient Rome and Bletchley Park.
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley have a man, a plan ( a  canal - Panama!)  for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Emoji Disasters
    Emoji are so hot right now. These days, it seems everybody is using those tiny pictures on their electronic devices.
    But pictures can often be taken more than one way. And that can lead to misunderstandings. So how comprehensible are these emojis? Are they an international form of communication, or do they mean different things to different people in different places? 
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley are all smiles (and that little weird squiggly symbol) for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Whistled Languages
    Some languages use speech sounds. Some languages use gestures. But a few languages use whistling. That's right; a surprising number of languages around the world are whistled, rather than spoken.
    But how do they work? And do they operate like other languages do in our brains?
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley pitch their questions for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Names
    Shakespeare once asked: "What's in a name? that which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet". 
    And yet, it can be difficult to imagine ourselves by any other name.
    We talk about different conventions of naming around the world, and show how we get from one nickname to another.
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley soliloquise at the balcony for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Eggcorns
    Do you live in a doggy-dog world? Do you sow your wild oaks? Or do you have to curve your enthusiasm?
    These commonly misheard phrases are called eggcorns, and if you think your phraseology is up to stuff, you may get peeved at people who don't notice such Monday details. Sorry: mundane.
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley unweevil they mystery for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Spelling Reform
    The spelling of English is a little funny sometimes.
    English spelling is complicated by silent letters, double letters, influences from other languages, and just good old-fashioned sound change. So what are the chances that English spelling will be reformed?
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley scrabble in the bag for tiles for this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min
  • Red Big Balloon
    Why can we have a big red balloon, but never a red big balloon?
    We use adjectives - these describing words - all the time when we describe things as beautiful, blue, tenacious, or loquacious.
    But as crazy as English can be sometimes, these adjectives show incredible discipline! Why do they always seem to line up in a way that makes sense?
    Daniel Midgley, Kylie Sturgess and Ben Ainsley pop the questions in this episode of Talk It Up!
    8 min

About Talk It Up!

From the publisher's feed

Talk It Up! is about linguistics, the science of language. Linguist Daniel Midgley discusses the ins and outs of language with his friends Ben Ainslie and Kylie Sturgess. Everything about language is on the table, including the peculiarities of English, how language changes, and how language interacts with society and culture.