The Language Revolution

Episode 5: What is the best way to raise bilingual children?

Is there a recipe for raising bilingual children? In Episode 5 we discuss the prevalent myths around bilingualism, such as whether children will get confused learning two or more languages, and explore different methods of introducing languages at home even if parents are not themselves multilingual. What role does language acquisition have to play in a child's overall development? Can technology be a useful part of the process? 

Episode 4: How do we learn to speak?

Talking. It's easy right? But how does a baby learn to speak? What are the stages? And how can parents support the process of language acquisition? In this fourth episode of The Language Revolution Podcast, Cate talks to Dr Katerina Kantartzis about tuning into a baby's conversational cues, what is 'normal' and signs to look out for in speech development, why singing is so special to humans, and whether or not you can stop humans from communicating. 

Episode 3: How can we solve the UK languages crisis?

Have the Brits always been 'rubbish at languages' or are we just experiencing a period of linguistic inertia? Since everyone speaks English, is there much point in learning foreign languages? In the third part of their discussion, Cate Hamilton and Thomas Bak look at why languages are not just a nice addition to our school curriculum but central to our culture and society, and to our understanding of the world. It's time for a language revolution!

Episode 2: When is the best age to learn a language?

Is there a perfect age to learn a language? Is it ever too late to start? Should the NHS prescribe languages to older adults? What if you already have dementia, is it too late then? Join linguist and teacher Cate Hamilton as she explores these questions with neuroscientist Thomas Bak and tries to uncover the answer to WHEN learning languages will be most beneficial to us, and whether it is ever too late.

 

Episode 1: Is it normal to speak more than one language?

As the UK faces a languages crisis, with numbers dropping up to 50% in take-up of GCSE Modern Languages since 2003 and a £48bn deficit in the UK economy due to a shortage of linguists, join languages teacher and entrepreneur Cate Hamilton and neuroscientist Thomas Bak as they discuss how humans learn and process languages, and why being multilingual is (and always has been) normal. Part 1/3.