the Weekly Linguist podcast

Episode 21: Matheus Freitas, part 1, on the vowels of Brazilian Portuguese

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 23:41:40 -0500

In this episode, Lisa returns after a time away, just in time to talk to Matheus Freitas of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais about the vowels of Brazilian Portuguese, how they work, how they are unique, and how they are changing.

Episode 20: Amanda Lafleur, part 3, more on what makes Louisiana French unique

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 05:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we return after vacation and finish our discussion with Amanda Lafleur about Louisiana French. It's a fun - and funny! - episode, and we think you'll enjoy listening.

Episode 19: Amanda Lafleur, part 2, on peculiarities in Louisiana French and Creole

Thu, 27 May 2021 12:04:38 -0500

This week we continue our conversation with Amanda Lafleur about Louisiana French. The first part of our conversation focused on the development of the Dictionary of Louisiana French. In this second episode, we are joined by a colleague, Nathan Wendt, who studies Louisiana Creole, and we begin talking about some of the unique words and structures of Louisiana French and Louisiana Creole.

Episode 18: Amanda Lafleur, part 1, on the development of the Dictionary of Louisiana French

Thu, 20 May 2021 05:00:00 -0500

This week we continue our conversation about Louisiana French with the first of three episodes taken from our interview with Amanda Lafleur. Dr Ancelet's interview was about the socio-historical context, while our discussion with Amanda gets more into the actual features of Louisiana French. The first third of the interview talks about the development of the Dictionary of Louisiana French and many of the dynamics involved.

Episode 17: Barry Ancelet, part 3, on the future of Louisiana French

Thu, 13 May 2021 17:40:36 -0500

This week, we finish our discussion with Barry Ancelet. We turn to the future of Louisiana French, how it’s expressing itself, and the positive signs that there is a bright future ahead for French in Louisiana. PHOTO CREDIT: Philip Gould

Episode 16: Barry Ancelet, part 2, on Louisiana French identity and literacy

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 15:23:54 -0500

This week we continue our conversation on Louisiana French with Dr. Barry Ancelet, noted folklorist and expert in Cajun culture. We talk about the differences between Louisiana French and Modern Standard French, how they developed independently, and the historical efforts to preserve Louisiana French by writing it and teaching it.

Episode 15: Barry Ancelet, part 1, on Louisiana French

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:56:03 -0500

This week we begin a three-part series on Louisiana French with Dr. Barry Ancelet, noted folklorist and expert in Cajun culture. We talk about how French came to be spoken in Louisiana, how it thrived, how it was threatened, and the work that has been to help maintain it going forward.

Episode 14: R. David Zorc, part 2, more on the Bisayan languages

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0500

In this week's episode, we continue our conversation with R. David Zorc, noted linguist of Philippine languages. We talk about the Philippine “Focus System”, genitive case markers, and the future of Linguistics in the Philippines.

Episode 13: R. David Zorc, part 1, on the Bisayan languages

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0500

In this week's episode, we call R. David Zorc on the phone and talk about the Bisayan languages of the Philippines. It's a fun and informative interview. If you're interested in Philippine languages, or language classification, tune in and enjoy!

Episode 12: Keren Rice, part 2, on Community-Based Research

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 05:00:00 -0500

One great interview deserves another! This week we are continuing our conversation with Dr. Keren Rice of the University of Toronto. We turn from the Dene languages to Community-based Research in the field of Linguistics. What are the concepts behind "working together" with a community to accomplish linguistic and anthropological goals? Tune in to find out!

Episode 11: Keren Rice, part 1, on the Dene languages

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 19:52:27 -0500

This is an exciting week! We are talking to Dr. Keren Rice of the University of Toronto, former President of the Linguistic Society of America, the Canadian Linguistic Association and the Society for the Study of Indigenous Languages of the Americas. We discuss the Dene (formerly Athabaskan) languages of North America. Tune in for a fascinating discussion!

Episode 10: Dina Stanković, part 3, more on Serbian and Slavic Languages

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 20:06:42 -0500

On this week’s episode, we finish our discussion with Miss Dina Stanković, a budding young linguist who studies — and podcasts on! — Slavic languages. Last week we talked about the morphology and some syntax of Serbian. This week we continue with the language’s syntax, and then discuss interesting features of Serbian’s verbal aspect system.

Episode 9: Dina Stanković, part 2, more on Serbian and Slavic Languages

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:41:43 -0600

On this week’s episode, we continue our discussion with Miss Dina Stanković, a budding young linguist who studies — and podcasts on! — Slavic languages. Last week we talked about the history and socio-cultural context of Serbian, followed by a discussion of the phonetics and phonology (i.e. the sounds of) Serbian. This week we keep going by discussing the language’s morphology and begin a discussion on Serbian syntax.

Episode 8: Dina Stanković, part 1, on Serbian and Slavic Languages

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 13:32:15 -0600

On this week's episode, we are excited to introduce a budding young linguist who studies -- and podcasts on! -- Slavic languages! Miss Dina Stanković gives us an introduction to Slavic languages in general, and then we discuss Serbian, her heart language, in particular. Enjoy!

Episode 7: Joyce Bennett on Language and Empowerment among Kaqchikel Women in Guatemala

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 20:21:39 -0600

In this week’s episode, Jarrette talks to Dr. Joyce Bennett of Connecticut College about her research on the interplay between language, culture, and empowerment among Kaqchikel women in Guatemala. How and why are Kaqchikel women reclaiming their identity through clothing and language in Guatemala?

Episode 6: Anthony Grant, part 2, more on Lexicostatistics, Tagmemics, Word Borrowings, and Philippine languages

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 13:27:12 -0600

Today’s episode provides the listener with a few “outtakes” from Jarrette’s conversation with Anthony Grant that we weren’t able to include in the first episode (Episode 5) but that definitely were worth including! Topics include: cognacy grids and how lexicostatistics resembles biology, tagmemics, glottochronology, word borrowing, and an interesting discussion of Philippine languages.

Episode 5: Anthony Grant, part 1, on Lexicostatistics Today

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 11:58:40 -0600

On this week’s episode, we interview Dr. Anthony Grant of Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire, in the UK. This episode discusses one aspect of language diversity around the world: the methodology called lexicostatistics. What is lexicostatistics? How is it related to the controversial idea of glottochronology? What can we learn from lexicostatistics, and why is it an important methodology in modern Linguistics? Tune in to find out!

Episode 4: Judie Maxwell, part 3, on Language Rights and Revitalization

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 08:01:42 -0600

In this episode, we finish the conversation with Judie Maxwell of Tulane University. Topics include: how languages encode human knowledge and worldviews; the autonomy of a language community to choose if, when, and where to speak their language (or not); heritage communities and heritage languages; the terms "extinct", "dead", "sleeping", and "reclamation" when talking about endangered languages; language domains; community buy-in; and the power of a single person to make a difference!

Episode 3: Judie Maxwell, part 2, on Language Death and Vitality

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 06:00:10 -0600

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Judie Maxwell of Tulane University. We start by talking about "the language split by a river" in Guatemala, and then we explore how languages dwindle down to a single speaker. We then discuss reasons why some people refuse to speak their language and about "safe domains" for a language, as well as the role schools can play in the vitality of languages.

Episode 2: Judie Maxwell, part 1, on Language Diversity

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 12:50:29 -0600

In this episode, we talk to our own professor Judith M. Maxwell of Tulane University about language diversity. Because the purpose of the podcast is to discuss the languages of the world, the first few episodes are intended to set the stage for a discussion of the world's languages. We talk very generally about how languages change and diversify themselves, giving a few examples of the processes that change language over time. We also discuss the effects of globalization on language diversity.

Episode 1: Introduction to the podcast

Sat, 09 Jan 2021 17:17:54 -0600

In this inaugural episode, we introduce ourselves and the podcast! We discuss our passions for language, how we got into Linguistics, and all that jazz. We then talk about what to expect from the podcast, including why we decided to do a new podcast on Linguistics. We laugh, we open up about ourselves, we get off topic and kid around a bit, all the things you would expect from folks who get a chance to talk about what they love.