BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'All About Language' English mega-class! One hour of new vocabulary!

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English– the  show that brings you an interesting topic,  

authentic listening practice and vocabulary to  help you improve your language skills. I'm Rob…

Watashi no namae wa Neil desu.  And that means 'my name's Neil'.

So Neil, here's a question for you – can  

you speak any languages other than  English of course? I think you can!

Un poco de español that means a  little bit of Spanish. Some Japanese,  

which I tried at the beginning and also a bit  of Czech language - Dobrý den, jak se máš?

Very impressive. So what tips can you give  for learning to speak another language?

Well, practise, practise, practise – and don't  be afraid of making mistakes as I no doubt have.

Of course. Well my aim this year  is to master the Spanish language.  

Master means to learn thoroughly.

Muy bien! Well you're not alone. A survey by the  British Council found learning a language is a new  

year's resolution for about one in five Britons  in 2018. So learning Spanish is a good start Rob  

but do you know approximately how many languages  there are in the world altogether? Are there…

a) 70 

b) 700 c) 7,000

Well I know there are many but  surely not 7,000 so I'm going to say  

b) 700 – but don't expect me to learn all of them.

I won't Rob. But I will give you the answer later.  

So, we all know learning another language is  a good thing – it brings us many benefits.

Yes, we can communicate with  people from other countries  

and when we're travelling we can understand what  signs and notices say. So we don't get lost.

That's right – but many scientists also  believe that knowledge of another language  

can boost your brainpower. A study  of monolingual and bilingual speakers  

suggests speaking two languages can help  slow down the brain's decline with age.

All good reasons. But Neil, learning another  language is hard. It would take me years and  

years to become fluent in say, Mandarin – by  fluent I mean speak very well, without difficulty.

Well this depends on your  mother tongue. In general,  

the closer the second language is to  the learner's native tongue and culture  

in terms of vocabulary, sounds or sentence  structure - the easier it will be to learn.

But whatever the language,  

there is so much vocabulary to learn – you  know, thousands and thousands of words.

Maybe not Rob. Professor Stuart Webb, a  linguist from the University of Western Ontario,  

may be able to help you. He  spoke to BBC Radio 4's More  

or Less programme and explained  that you don't need to do that…

For language learners in a foreign language  setting – so for example, if you were learning  

French in Britain or English in Japan,  

students may often really struggle to learn more  than 2,000, 3,000 words after many years of study.  

So for example, there was a study in Taiwan  recently that showed that after nine years  

of study about half of the students had still  failed to learn the most frequent 1,000 words.  

Now they knew lower frequency words but they  hadn't mastered those most important words.

So Rob, don't waste your time  trying to learn every single word.  

Professor Webb spoke there about  research that showed students  

knew lower frequency words but weren't  learning enough high-frequency words.

Right, and frequency here means the number  of times something happens – so the important  

words to learn are the high-frequency  ones – and how many are there exactly?

Here's Professor Stuart Webb again…

For example, with English, I would suggest if  you learn the 800 most frequent lemmas – which is  

a word and its inflections – that will  account for about 75 per cent of all of  

the English language. So that learning  those 800 words first will provide  

the foundation for which you may be  able to learn the lower frequency words.

Fascinating stuff. And good to know I just need to  learn about 800 words – or what he calls lemmas.

Yes, a lemma is the simplest form or base form  of a word. And the inflection here refers to  

how the base word is changed according to its  use in a sentence. Knowing these things give  

you a foundation – the basics from which  you language learning will develop. Simple

Thank goodness I am learning  just one new language!

But how many languages could you potentially  be learning Rob? Earlier I asked you,  

approximately how many languages there  are in the world altogether? Are there…

a) 70 b) 700 

c) 7,000

And I said 700. Was I right?

No Rob, you were wrong. There are around  7,000 recognised languages in the world  

but UNESCO has identified 2,500 languages  which it claims are at risk of extinction.

A sobering thought Neil. Now  shall we remind ourselves  

of some of the English vocabulary we've  heard today. Starting with master.

To master a new skill, in  this context, means to learn  

thoroughly or learn well. "Rob hopes to master  Spanish before he starts a new job in Madrid."

That's news to me Neil! But it would be  good to be fluent in Spanish – or any  

language – or to speak it fluently – that's  speaking it well and without difficulty.

Now our next word was frequency. Here we are  referring to high and low frequency words – so  

it means how often they occur. Examples of a  high frequency word are 'it', 'the' and 'and'.

And our next word is inflections. These are the  changes to the basic form of words according to  

their function in a sentence. Such as adding  an 's' to the end of a word to make it plural.

And don't forget lemma which  is the simplest form or base  

form of a word before an inflection is added.

And finally foundation which means  the basics your learning grows from.

That just leaves me to remind you  that you can learn English with  

us at bbclearningenglish.com. That's  it for today's 6 Minute English. We  

hope you enjoyed it. Bye for now.  Na shledanou. Hasta luego. Ja-ne.

And in English, goodbye.

Goodbye. Hello. This  

is 6 Minute English from BBC  Learning English. I’m Neil.

And I’m Georgina

Can I ask you something, Georgina…?

Mm-mm-hmm.

Georgina? I said, I want to ask you  something… are you listening to me?!

Mm-hmm, just a second, Neil, I’m texting a friend…

Ah, has this ever happened you?  Someone too busy texting to talk.  

With the huge rise of mobile phones in  recent decades, communicating by text  

has become more and more popular and scenes  like this have become increasingly common.

…and send! There, all done!  Now, what were you saying, Neil?

In this programme, we’ll be investigating  why people often choose to text,  

instead of talk to the people  in their lives. We’ll be asking  

whether this popular form of communication  is changing how we interact with each other.

And, of course, we’ll be learning  some related vocabulary as well.  

Now, Neil, what did you want to ask me?

My quiz question, Georgina, which is this. Young  people are often the biggest users of mobile  

phones, but in a 2016 study, what percentage  of British teenagers said they would prefer  

to send a text rather than speak to someone,  even if they were in the same room? Is it:

a) 9 percent?, b) 49 percent?, or, 

c) 99 percent?

That sounds pretty shocking! I can’t  believe 99 percent of teenagers said that,  

so I’ll guess b) 49 percent.

OK, Georgina. We’ll find out later if that’s  right. In one way, the popularity of texting,  

sometimes called ‘talking with thumbs’,  

is understandable - people like  to be in control of what they say.

But this low-risk way of hiding behind a screen  may come at a cost, as neuroscientist, Professor  

Sophie Scott, explained to Sandra Kanthal, for  BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor:

When we ‘talk with our thumbs’ by  text or email or instant message,  

we’re often prioritising speed over  clarity and depth. But when we can’t  

hear the way someone is speaking it’s all  too easy to misunderstand their intention.

So if I say a phrase like, ‘Oh shut  up!’ - has a different meaning than,  

‘Oh shut up!’ There’s an emotional thing  there but also a strong kind of intonation:  

one’s sort of funny, one’s  just aggressive. Written down  

it’s just aggressive – ‘Shut up!’ - and you  can’t soften that. […] We always speak with  

melody and intonation to our voice and we’ll  change our meaning depending on that. You take  

that channel of information out of communication  you lose another way that sense is being conveyed.

When reading a text instead  of listening to someone speak,  

we miss out on the speaker’s intonation – that’s  the way the voice rises and falls when speaking.

Intonation, how a word is said,  often changes the meaning of  

words and phrases - small groups of words  people use to say something particular.

Reading a phrase like, ‘Oh shut up!’ in a text,  instead of hearing it spoken aloud, makes it  

easy to misunderstand the speaker‘s intention  – their aim, or plan of what they want to do.

And it’s not just the speaker’s intention that  we miss. A whole range of extra information  

is conveyed through speech, from the speaker’s  age and gender to the region they’re from.

Poet, Gary Turk, believes that we lose  something uniquely human when we stop talking.  

And there are practical problems  involved with texting too,  

as he explains to BBC World  Service’s, The Why Factor:

If you speak to someone in person and they  don’t respond right away, that would be rude.  

But you might be speaking to someone in person  and someone texts you... and it would be ruder  

for you then to stop that conversation and speak  to the person over text… yet the person on the  

other side of the text is getting annoyed – you  haven’t responded right way – it’s like we’re  

constantly now creating these situations using our  phones that allow us to like tread on mines – no  

matter what you do, we’re going to disappoint  people because we’re trying to communicate in  

so many different ways. Do you prioritise the  person on the phone? Would you prioritise the  

person you’re speaking to? Who do you disappoint  first? You’re going to disappoint somebody.

So what should you do if a friend texts you when  

you’re already speaking to someone else in  person – physically present, face to face?

You can’t communicate with  both people at the same time,  

so whatever you do someone will get  annoyed – become angry and upset.

Gary thinks that despite its convenience,  texting creates situations where we have  

to tread on mines, another way of  saying that something is a minefield,  

meaning a situation full of hidden problems  and dangers, where people need to take care.

Yes, it’s easy to get annoyed when  someone ignores you to text their friend…

Oh, you’re not still upset  about that are you, Neil?

Ha, it’s like those teenagers in my  quiz question! Remember I asked you  

how many teenagers said they’d prefer to text  someone, even if they were in the same room.

I guessed it was b) 49 percent.

Which was… the correct answer! I’m glad you  were listening, Georgina, and not texting!

Ha ha! In this programme we’ve  been discussing ways in which  

texting differs from talking with  someone in person – or face to face.

Sending texts instead of having a conversation  means we don’t hear the speaker’s intonation – the  

musical way their voice rises and falls. A phrase  - or small group of words - like ‘Oh shut up!’,  

means different things when  said in different ways.

Without intonation we can easily misunderstand a  

text writer’s intention – their idea  or plan of what they are going to do.

Which in turns means they can get  annoyed – or become irritated,  

if you don’t understand what they  mean, or don’t respond right away.

All of which can create an absolute minefield  – a situation with many hidden problems,  

where you need to speak and act carefully.

And that’s all we have time for  in this programme, but remember  

you can find more useful vocabulary, trending  topics and help with your language learning  

here at BBC Learning English. We also  have an app that you can download for free  

from the app stores and of course we  are all over social media. Bye for now!

Bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

Now Sam, I assume that you know your alphabet.

Of course, Neil – you mean my ABCs? We  learn that at a very young age, you know?

Sorry to sound patronising. But you do you know  

why the letters in the alphabet  are in that particular order?

No, I don’t. That’s really interesting. Why?

I don’t know either, I was hoping you might!  But seriously, no one really knows how the  

order became established. However, some  research has shown that if your surname,  

your family name, begins with  a letter later in the alphabet,  

you could be at a disadvantage at school and  in life. Before we get in to that though,  

a question. Where does the alphabet  come from in its earliest form? Was it…

a) Ancient Egypt b) Ancient Greece 

c) Ancient Rome

What do you think, Sam?

Well, we refer to the English alphabet as having  Roman characters, so I’m going with Ancient Rome.

OK. I’ll have the answer later in the programme.  In the BBC radio programme Fry’s English Delight  

there was a feature about the alphabet and how it  can have a negative impact on your school life.  

Can you remember all those years  ago when you were at school?  

What’s the first thing that the teacher  would do at the beginning of the day?

She would take the register – that’s what we call  it in the UK. You can also call it the roll call.

Yes, this is when the teacher calls out the  names of the students to check that they  

are all there. This is where the problem starts,  according to, ironically, Professor Jeffrey Zax,  

from the University of Colorado. The  further down that list your name is,  

the less noticed you are by the teacher.  Why is that? Here’s Professor Zax.

When it begins people are paying attention. As it  proceeds, first the people who are already called,  

they no longer have any need to take things  seriously. And the people who are waiting to  

be called, their attention is wandering as well.  And so as you make your way through the roll call  

somehow the intensity of  the engagement diminishes.

So, what is the problem?

Well, it’s a lot to do with paying attention.  This means concentrating on something.  

At the beginning of the roll call everyone is  paying attention - they are quiet and listening.  

But after the first names are called, those  students don’t need to pay attention any more.

So they lose a bit of interest in what comes  next, and the students later in the list  

are also now distracted and the teacher,  him or herself, is not so focussed.

And by the end of the list the relationship  between the teacher and the students whose names  

are being called later is not as strong  as those at the beginning of the list.

Professor Zax describes this by saying that  the intensity of the engagement diminishes.  

Diminishes means ‘gets weaker’, and the intensity  of the engagement is the strength of the  

communication, the level of enthusiasm for being  involved. So this is the start of the disadvantage  

which can subtly affect students throughout their  school years and after. This was discovered after  

some research in the US in the 1950s. So what were  these disadvantages? Here’s Professor Zax again.

They were less likely to have  enjoyed their high school courses,  

graduate from college if they applied. They were  more likely to drop out. They had first jobs in  

occupations that paid less. They were  more likely to go to the military  

and they were more likely to have  jobs whose prestige was lower.

So what disadvantages did they have?

Well, Professor Zax says that the  research showed they enjoyed school  

less, were less successful academically  and more likely to drop out of college  

or university. This means that they  left the course before it was finished.

And he also said that they were more  likely to find jobs that had a lower  

prestige. This means the jobs weren’t seen as  high status or desirable. Let’s listen again.

They were less likely to have  enjoyed their high school courses,  

graduate from college if they applied. They were  more likely to drop out. They had first jobs  

in occupations that paid less. They were  

more likely to go to the military and they were  more likely to have jobs whose prestige was lower.

Well, Professor Zax seems to have  done OK. Even with that surname!

Indeed, I guess this doesn’t apply  to everyone. Right, well before we  

remind ourselves of our vocabulary,  let’s get the answer to the question.  

Where does the alphabet come from  in its earliest form? Was it…

a) Ancient Egypt b) Ancient Greece 

c) Ancient Rome

Sam, what did you say?

Pretty sure it’s Ancient Rome.

What does your surname begin with?

A 'B', actually.

Well, you are wrong, I’m afraid.  It’s actually Ancient Egypt – so  

well done to everyone who got that.  OK, now it's time for our vocabulary.

Yes – to pay attention to something means to  concentrate on something, to not be distracted.

Then there was the phrase the  intensity of the engagement,  

which is another way of saying the strength of  the relationship, interaction and communication.

And if your surname comes at the end  of the alphabet you may find that the  

intensity of engagement with the teacher  diminishes. Diminishes means gets weaker.

If you drop out from a course, it means  that you leave it before it’s finished.

And the prestige of a job is the respect it has.  

If it is seen as important or  desirable then it has higher prestige.

OK, thank you, Sam. That’s all from 6 Minute  English. We hope you can join us again soon.  

You can find us at bbclearningenglish online,  on social media and on our app. Bye for now!

Bye bye everyone!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I'm Georgina.

And I'm Rob.

Are you a punctuation pedant? Do you get upset,  

annoyed or angry if you see punctuation being  used incorrectly – particularly apostrophes?

Well, it depends. Usually I’m pretty  chilled out about it, but sometimes,  

just sometimes it really winds me up. For example,  if I see a sign for taxis at a train station  

and it says taxi – apostrophe - s – aargh!  Why – why? The apostrophe is not used to  

show there is more than one, it’s used to  show there is a missing letter or that the  

word is a possessive – it’s just wrong!  So that does kind of make my blood boil.

So, when you say you’re pretty  chilled about it you mean…

OK, I’m not chilled at all.  But maybe I wish I were.

Well, we’re going to be taking a  look at reactions to the use and  

abuse of apostrophes in this programme. But first,  

a question. The word ‘apostrophe’ itself  – which language does it come from? Is it:

A: Latin

B: Greek

C: Arabic

What do you think, Rob?

I don’t think it’s Arabic, so it’s a toss-up  between Latin and Greek. I’m going to say Greek.

OK. We’ll see if you’re correct at the end  of the programme. The apostrophe, it is true  

to say, is often misused. It’s put where it  shouldn’t be and not used where it should be.  

Is it important, though? Does it matter?  After all, in spoken English there is no  

difference between ‘it’s’ with an  apostrophe and ‘its’ without. ‘Your’  

and ‘you’re’ – short for ‘you are’ sound the  same. So what’s the problem in written English?

In many cases there isn’t a problem at  all. There would be very little confusion.  

But I don’t think that means we should  just ignore the correct way to use them.  

Sometimes it can be very important to make clear  if it’s a singular or plural or possessive.  

Another important thing to remember is that in CVs  and job applications a good standard of spelling  

and punctuation is expected. Get it wrong  and you could miss out on a good opportunity.

There is one group that has tried for  nearly 20 years to keep others to these high  

standards - The Apostrophe Protection Society.  They have publicly pointed out incorrect use  

in public signs and communications – a tactic  that has not always been welcome or successful.  

But like the apostrophe itself, the group is in  danger. Here’s a BBC news report on the subject.

They linger above our letters, they  wander around the endings of our words,  

but apostrophes, it seems, are an  endangered species. The Apostrophe  

Protection Society – yes there really is one  – says their future is, well, up in the air.

How does he describe apostrophes?

Using metaphorical, poetic language, he says they  linger above our letters. To linger is a verb  

usually used to describe someone or something  staying somewhere before finally leaving.

So, we have apostrophes lingering  above our letters and also he said  

they wander around the ending of words.

Yes, also a metaphorical use. To wander means  

to walk slowly around without  any real purpose or urgency.

And he went on to say that the future  of the apostrophe is up in the air.  

When something is up in the air,  it means its future is not certain,  

it’s not guaranteed. So if, for example,  your holiday plans are up in the air,  

it means that there is some kind of problem and  you might not be going on holiday after all.  

The person who founded The Apostrophe Protection  Society is John Edwards. Now 96 years old he has  

decided to give it up. Partly because of his age,  but also because he thinks that due to the impact  

of texting and social media he has lost the battle  against bad punctuation. So why has it come to  

this? Here he is explaining why he thinks people  aren’t bothered about using correct punctuation.

I think it’s a mixture of ignorance and laziness.  They’re too ignorant to know where it goes,  

they’re too lazy to learn so they just  don’t bother. The barbarians have won.

So what’s his reason?

He blames ignorance and laziness. Ignorance is a  lack of knowledge or understanding of something.  

So people don’t know the rules and are too  lazy to learn them, according to Edwards.

Quite strong views there!

Yes, and you thought I was a pedant! He actually  goes further to say that the barbarians have won.  

Barbarian is a historical word  for people who weren’t part of  

so-called civilized society. They were seen as  violent and aggressive, primitive and uncivilized.

So it’s not a compliment then?

Oh no!

Right, before we review today’s  vocabulary, let’s have the answer  

to today’s quiz. Which language does the  word apostrophe come from? What did you say?

I went for Greek.

Congratulations to you and anyone else who  got that right. Greek is the right answer.  

Now let’s remind ourselves of today’s  vocabulary. First, what’s a pedant, Rob?

A pedant is someone who corrects other  people’s small mistakes – particularly  

in grammar and punctuation – but it’s  not the same as an English teacher!  

A pedant will correct native speakers’  mistakes too, and not in the classroom.

To linger means to stay somewhere for longer.

To wander is to walk around without a real  purpose or intention to get somewhere quickly.

If your plans are up in the air, it means  they are at risk and might not happen.

Ignorance is the state of not knowing  something that should be known.

And finally, a barbarian is a word for a primitive  and uncivilized person. Right, we can’t linger in  

this studio as our six minutes are up. You can  find more from us about punctuation and many  

other aspects of English online, on social media  and on the BBC Learning English app. Bye for now.

Bye!

Welcome to 6 Minute English. In this programme we  

bring you an expressive topic and  six items of vocabulary. I’m Neil…

And I’m Tim. So, we had an argument  just before we started the show…

We did, Tim. But no hard feelings?

None. No hard feelings is something you  say to somebody you have argued with to  

say you’d still like to be friends.  We often fall out over silly things…

… Like who’s going to introduce the show…

… Or who’s going to choose the quiz question.

But we understand each other. That’s  the important thing, isn't it?  

To fall out with somebody by the way, is another  way of saying to argue or disagree with them.  

Do you know that you wave your arms  around a lot when you’re arguing, Tim?

No, I didn’t know I did that.

That isn’t very British.

I know. Using gestures – or movements  you make with your hands or your head  

to express what you are thinking of feeling –  is common in some countries but not in others.  

Then there are some movements – like  shaking your head – which mostly means  

‘no’ but in some countries can mean the opposite.

That’s right. In which country  does shaking your head mean ‘yes’,  

Tim? Is it… a) Greece, 

b) Japan or c) Bulgaria?

No idea – I’ll guess Greece. I do know that in  

India people shake their heads  to mean lots of different things.

There are plenty of gestures  you need to be careful with  

when you’re meeting and greeting people  from a culture that’s different to your  

own – to avoid offending people  – or making an awkward faux pas…

If you make a faux pas it means you say or do  something embarrassing in a social situation.  

For example, our every day use of the thumbs-up  signal might offend people from the Middle East.

And to offend means to make  somebody angry or upset.

Let’s hear now from Business Professor  Erin Meyer talking about how easy it is  

to misunderstand why people behave the way they do  

in everyday situations when we  don’t belong to the same culture.

A while ago I was in Dubai and one of my students,  my Emirati students, was driving me home after a  

session and the car stopped at a light and she  rolled down the window, and she started shouting  

at someone outside of the window. This guy was  crossing the street with a big box of cloth. And  

he started shouting back, and she opened up the  door, and they started gesticulating and shouting  

at one another. And I thought, wow, they’re  having a huge fight, I thought maybe he was  

going to hit her. And she got back in the car,  and I said, well, what were you fighting about?  

And she said, ‘Oh no, no, we weren’t fighting,  he was giving me directions to your hotel.’  

And I thought that was a great example of how  someone from another culture may misperceive or  

misunderstand something as a fight when in fact  they were just being emotionally expressive.

Gesticulating – what does that mean?

It means what I was doing earlier! – Waving  your arms around to express what you’re feeling.

Erin Meyer was worried because her student and the  

man on the street were shouting  and gesticulating at each other.  

She thought they were having a fight when in  fact they were just being emotionally expressive.

And expressive means showing  what you think or feel.

You were nodding in agreement, there, Tim.  Which reminds me of our quiz question. In which  

country does shaking your head mean ‘yes’?  Is it… a) Greece, b) Japan or c) Bulgaria?

I said Greece…

And that’s the wrong answer, I’m  afraid. The right answer is Bulgaria.  

In some Southeastern European areas  such as Bulgaria and southern Albania,  

shaking your head is used to indicate "yes". In  those regions, nodding in fact means "no" as well.

I hope I remember that the next time I  meet somebody from Southeastern Europe.OK,  

shall we look back at the words we learned today?

‘No hard feelings’ is something you  say to somebody you have argued with  

or beaten in a game or contest to  say you’d still like to be friends.

For example, “I always get the quiz questions  

right – unlike you Neil.  But no hard feelings, OK?”

That’s not a very realistic example, Tim…  

But I’ll let it go. Number two – ‘to fall out with  somebody’ means to argue or disagree with them.

“I fell out with my best friend at school. We  didn’t talk to each other for a whole week!”

That must’ve been a serious disagreement,  Tim! What were you arguing about?

I can’t remember. It was a long time  ago. Number three – a ‘gesture’ is a  

movement you make with your hands or head  to express what you are thinking or feeling.

“She opened her arms wide  in a gesture of welcome.”

Or the verb – “I gestured to Neil that we  only had one minute left to finish the show!”

Is that true, Tim? You’re nodding your  head – but we should also quickly mention  

‘gesticulate’ which means to make  gestures with your hands or arms!

A ‘faux pas’ is saying or doing something  embarrassing in a social situation.  

For example, “I committed a serious faux pas  

at a party last night – that I’m  too embarrassed to tell you about!”

Oh dear, Tim. I hope you didn’t  offend too many people – ‘offend’  

is our next word – and it means  to make somebody angry or upset.

Well, you’ve given us a good example  already, Neil, so let’s move on to  

the final word – ‘expressive’ – which  means showing what you think or feel.

“Tim has a very expressive face.”

Thanks! Another quick example – “I waved my hand  

expressively to signal to Neil that  it was time to finish the show.”

Taking my cue from Tim, that’s all for today.  But please remember to check out our Instagram,  

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages.

Bye-bye! Goodbye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English  from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

And I’m Rob.

Bonjour, Rob! Kon’nichi’wa!

Excuse me?

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?

Rob Oh, OK, I think Neil’s saying  

‘hello’ in different languages – French, was it?  And then.. Japanese? And… Spanish? Is that right?

¡Si, muy bien!

The English are famously slow to learn other  languages. But it seems that Rob and I - and of  

course you - our global audience here at 6 Minute  English - are good examples of polyglots – people  

who speak more than one language, sometimes  known as 'superlinguists'. People who speak  

multiple languages benefit from many advantages,  as we’ll be hearing in this programme.

That word polyglot sounds familiar, Neil.  Doesn’t the prefix – poly – mean, ‘many’?

That’s right, like polygon  – a shape with many sides.

Or polymath – someone who knows many things.

And speaking of knowing things,  it’s time for my quiz question.  

The word polyglot comes from Greek and is  made up of two parts: poly, which as Rob says,  

means ‘many’, and ‘glot’. But what does  ‘glot’ mean? What is the meaning of the word  

polyglot? Is it: a) many words?, 

b) many sounds? or c) many tongues?

Well, there’s three syllables in ‘polyglot’,  Neil, so I reckon it’s b), many sounds.

OK, Rob, we’ll find out if that’s  right at the end of the programme.  

But leaving aside the origins of the word,  what exactly does being a polyglot involve?  

British-born polyglot, Richard  Simcot speaks eleven languages.  

Listen to his definition as he speaks to BBC  World Service programme, The Documentary:

A polyglot for me can be anyone who  identifies with that term – it’s  

somebody who learns languages that they  don’t necessarily need for their lives,  

but just out of sheer enjoyment, pleasure or  fascination with another language or culture.

For Richard, being a polyglot  simply means identifying with  

the idea - feeling that you are  similar or closely connected to it.

He says polyglots learn languages  not because they have to,  

but for the sheer enjoyment,  which means, ‘nothing except’  

enjoyment. Richard uses the word sheer to  emphasise how strong and pure this enjoyment is.

As well as the pleasure of speaking other  languages, polyglots are also better at  

communicating with others. My favourite quote  by South Africa’s first black president,  

Nelson Mandela, is: "If you talk to a man in a  language he understands, that goes to his head.  

If you talk to him in his  language, that goes to his heart."

How inspiring, Rob – I’m lost  for words! Here’s another:  

‘To have another language is  to possess a second soul’.

So language learning is good for the head, heart  and soul – a person’s spirit or the part of them  

which is believed to continue  existing after death.

Yes – and what’s more, language  learning is good for the brain too.  

That’s according to Harvard neuroscientist,  Eve Fedorenko.She’s researched the effects  

of speaking multiple languages on  the brains of growing children.

Eve predicted that multilingual children would  have hyperactive language brains. But what she  

actually found surprised her, as she explains  here to BBC World Service’s The Documentary:

What we found – this is now people who  already have proficiency in multiple  

languages - what we found is that their  language regions appear to be smaller,  

and that was surprising… and as people get better  and better, more automatic at performing the task,  

the activations shrink, so to speak, over  time, it becomes so that you don’t have to  

use as much brain tissue to do the task  as well, so you become more efficient.

Eve was testing children who already have language  

proficiency – the skill and ability to  do something, such as speak a language.

Her surprising discovery was that the  language regions of these children’s  

brains were shrinking – not because  their speaking skills were getting worse,  

but the opposite; as they learned  and repeated language patterns,  

their brain tissue became more efficient  – worked quicker and more effectively.

It’s suggested that this increased efficiency  is a result of exposure to different languages.

So that proves it, Neil: speaking many languages  is good for the head, heart, mind and soul!

You took the words right out of my mouth!

And speaking of words, what does the ‘glot’ in  polyglot actually mean? Was my answer correct?

Ah, that’s right. In my quiz question I asked  you for the meaning of the word ‘polyglot’.

I said, b) many sounds.

But in fact the correct answer was c)  many tongues. You may be a polyglot, Rob,  

but you’re not quite a polymath yet!

OK, well, let me get my brain tissues  working by recapping the vocabulary,  

starting with polyglot – someone  who speaks many languages.

The language centres in a polyglot’s brain  

are efficient – theywork quickly  and effectively in an organised way.

Proficiency means the skill and ability  to do something well. And if you identify  

with something, you feel you are  similar or closely connected to it.

Polyglots learn languages for the  sheer enjoyment of it – a word  

meaning ‘nothing except‘ which is used  to emphasise the strength of feeling.

So speaking many languages is good for mind  and soul – a person’s non-physical spirit  

which some believe to continue after death.

That’s it for this programme, but to discover more  about language learning, including some useful  

practical tips, check out The Superlinguists  series from BBC World Service’s The Documentary!

Bye for now!

Bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English  from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

And I’m Sam.

Tell me, Sam, do you think Neil Armstrong  

really landed on the Moon in 1969? I mean,  that must be fake news! And who shot JFK?  

Surely the CIA were involved? Unless it was  the giant lizards controlling the government!

Oh dear! It looks like reading online conspiracies  has sent Neil down the rabbit hole – an expression  

used to describe a situation which seems  interesting and uncomplicated at first  

but ends up becoming strange, confusing and hard  to escape from. Luckily in this programme we’ll  

be hearing some advice on how to talk to people  who’ve become convinced by online conspiracies.

It seems that during times of crisis,  as people feel uncertain and fearful,  

they actively look for  information to feel more secure.

Nowadays this information is often found online,  

and while there are reliable facts out  there, there’s also a lot of misinformation.

Somebody who’s the target of many conspiracy  theories is Microsoft’s Bill Gates and our  

BBC fact checkers have been busy debunking - or  exposing – some of the more bizarre accusations  

made against him. But what strange behaviour  has Bill Gates been accused of recently?  

That’s my quiz question for today. Is it: a) being a member of the Chinese Communist Party?, 

b) being an alien lizard?, or c) being involved in the assassination of JFK?

They all sounds pretty silly to me but  I’ll guess b) being an alien lizard.

OK, Sam, if you say so! We’ll find out  the answer later. Now, I’m not the only  

one who’s been doing some internet research. Ever  since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic there’s  

been an avalanche of online conspiracies  linking Bill Gates to the coronavirus.  

Here’s Marianna Spring, presenter of BBC World  Service programme, Trending, to tell us more:

The Microsoft founder is  a rich and powerful person  

and he’s funded research into vaccines  – that’s why he’s become a target.  

Some of the claims are bonkers – that he wants  to use the virus as a pretext to microchip  

everyone in the world. Others say a vaccine  would actually kill people rather than save their  

lives. These ideas are without any evidence. We  should treat them with the disdain they deserve.

Some conspiracies claim that Bill Gates  wants to implant microchips in people  

and that he’s using the coronavirus as  a pretext - a pretend reason for doing  

something that is used to hide the real reason.

Claims like these are described as  bonkers – an informal way to say silly,  

stupid or crazy, and should  therefore be treated with  

disdain - disliking something because you feel  it does not deserve your attention or respect.

But while you might not believe such bonkers  theories yourself, it’s not hard to see  

how people looking for answers can  get sucked down online rabbit holes.

So how would you deal some someone  spreading baseless conspiracies  

about Covid vaccines or Bill Gates? The BBC’s  Trending programme spoke to Dr Jovan Byford,  

senior psychology lecturer with  the Open University, about it.

He thinks it’s important to separate the  conspiracy from the theorist. The former,  

the belief, we have to dismiss, but the  latter, the person, is more complex.

Here’s BBC Trending'spresenter, Marianna  Spring, again to sum up Dr Byford’s advice:

How do you talk to someone who’s at risk of being  sucked into the rabbit hole? First, establish  

a basis of understanding. Approach them on their  own terms and avoid sweeping dismissals or saying,  

“you’re wrong!”. Try not to judge. And try to  get to the bottom of the often legitimate concern  

at the heart of the conspiracy. Present them with  facts and research. Try to do this neutrally. You  

can’t force anyone to change their mind but  you can make sure they have valid information.

While some conspiracies may be harmless, others  are more dangerous. People thinking that vaccines  

will kill them might worsen the coronavirus  situation worldwide, so we need to get to the  

bottom of these claims - discover the real but  sometimes hidden reason why something happens.

A good way to engage people  in discussion is to avoid  

sweeping claims or statements - speaking  or writing about things in a way that is  

too general and does not carefully  consider all the relevant facts.

And by doing so calmly and neutrally  you might persuade them to reconsider  

the funny business Bill Gates  is supposedly involved with.

Ah yes, you mean our quiz question. I asked you  

what Bill Gates has recently been  accused of by conspiracy theorists.

And I said b) being an alien lizard. But thinking  about it now, that seems pretty unlikely!

In fact the answer was a) being a  member of the Chinese Communist Party.

OK. So today we’ve been hearing advice on  how to deal with online conspiracy theories,  

some of which are totally bonkers –  silly, stupid and crazy - or involve  

a complicated pretext – a pretend reason  used to hide someone’s true motivation.

These can be treated with  disdain – dislike because  

they are unworthy of our attention or respect.

But with so many conspiracies online, it’s easy  to get lost down the rabbit hole – intrigued  

by a situation which seems interesting but  ends up confusing and hard to escape from.

It’s important to get to the bottom of these  

theories - discover the real  but hidden reason behind them.

And to present people with facts, avoiding  sweeping – or over-generalised – statements.

That’s all for this programme. Goodbye for now!

Bye bye!

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.

And I'm Rob.

We're going to be looking at a  letter from the English alphabet.  

It’s a letter which has a particular  meaning when used at the end of a  

piece of informal writing such as  letters, emails, texts and messages.

I’m very EXcited.

Ha ha, very good, very good Rob!

My EXpectations are really high.

Yep, that's another good one.

Is it an EXtraordinary letter?

OK, thank you Rob, that’s enough of  your jokes. I’m getting EXasperated! Oh,  

now you’ve got me at it! Well, no prizes for  guessing what letter we’re focussing on today?

Why?

No, it’s not Y.

No, I didn’t mean the letter ‘y’, I meant the  word ‘why’, as in - why are there no prizes?

Because of all the not so subtle clues  you’ve been giving. The letter is X.

Yes. Exactly.

Alright, I think we get the  idea! Before we go much further,  

let’s have a question. English has 26  letters. Which language has 74 letters?

a) Khmer (Cambodian)

b) Hindi or

c) Armenian

Any ideas Rob?

An excellent question but quite  obscure, I’m going to say b) Hindi.

Well, I'll have the answer later on. Now,  

Rob, what does the letter X all by  itself at the end of a message mean?

Well, it means a kiss. The more kisses,  the more affection you are showing.

Where does this concept of putting an X  to mean a kiss come from? Dr Laura Wright  

is from the Faculty of English at Cambridge  University and she appeared on the BBC Radio 4  

programme Word of Mouth. When does she say this  practice started and where does it come from?

Well, we’ve been adding Xs for kisses at  the bottom of letters since at least 1763.  

The very first one we know of had seven Xs. I  have to say, I haven’t gone to seven ever. We get  

X from the Roman alphabet which got it from the  Greek alphabet, pronounced /ks/ and the Romans...

Presenter: That’s nearly a kiss, isn’t it?

Yes it is, isn’t it? I think  a penny’s just dropped there.

Presenter: It has, clunk.

What do we learn about the  origins of the X for kisses?

Well, it’s been used since at least 1763,  

and it comes from the Roman alphabet  and they got it from the Greeks.

And why did this come to mean a kiss?

Well, Dr Wright suggests it’s because  of the original pronunciation - /ks/.

And at the point the presenter  made the connection, didn’t he?

Yes, he did. And Dr Wright used a phrase for  when someone suddenly understands something,  

particularly something that is obvious to  others. She said the penny has just dropped.

And this has got nothing to do with a penny, which  is small coin, actually dropping anywhere. But  

the presenter makes a joke by using a word we  use for the noise of something falling, clunk.

Although, to be honest, a penny would  never really clunk. That’s more like the  

noise two heavy metal objects would make  - the clunk of a car door, for example.

Let’s listen to that exchange again.

Well, we’ve been adding Xs for kisses  at the bottom of letters since at least  

1763. The very first one we know of had seven Xs.  I have to say I haven’t gone to seven ever. We get  

X from the Roman alphabet which got it from the  Greek alphabet, pronounced /ks/ and the Romans...

Presenter: That’s nearly a kiss, isn’t it?

Yes it is, isn’t it? I think  a penny’s just dropped there.

Presenter: It has, clunk.

One thing to note about putting an X at the end of  a communication is that it is not something you do  

for everyone. It’s usually only to friends  and family members, people you might kiss  

in real life. Professor Nils Langer from the  University of Bristol told a story about a  

colleague of his who wasn’t too familiar  with this convention. What was her mistake?

A colleague of mine from Bristol,  who... when she came over from Germany  

thought that X was just the normal  way of closing a letter in England  

and so she would finish any letter with  Xs, even a letter to the Inland Revenue.  

We never heard, really, how the Inland Revenue  responded to these letters with these Xs.

Presenter: They docked her  another 20 quid, I think!

What was her mistake, Rob?

She didn’t realise that you don’t put an X  on every communication. So she even put it  

on business letter including  one to the Inland Revenue,  

which is the government department  in the UK that deals with tax.

We don’t know how the tax people  felt about the letter with kisses.  

But the presenter joked about what  their response would have been.

Yes, he joked that they probably docked her  another 20 quid. To dock money is to cut the  

amount of money you are expecting to receive  and a quid is a slang word for a British pound.

Time now for the answer to our question.  English has 26 letters. Which language  

has 74 letters? Is it… a) Khmer (Cambodian) 

b) Hindi or c) Armenian?

I guessed b) Hindi.

Well, I suppose it was a one in three chance, but  not correct this time. The answer is a) Khmer.  

Very well done if you knew that. Now on to  the vocabulary we looked at in this programme.

We started with a penny. A penny is an English  coin. A hundred pennies makes one pound sterling.

The phrase, the penny has dropped, means that  someone has suddenly understood something.

A clunk is the noise of two  heavy objects hitting each other.

The Inland Revenue is the UK’s tax authority.

If you dock money from someone, you  reduce the amount of money you pay them.  

For example, as an employee in the UK your  tax is automatically docked from your salary.

And finally, a quid, which is a slang term for  one pound sterling. Right, before they start  

docking our pay for being late, it’s time to say  goodbye. Find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,  

YouTube, our App and of course the website  bbclearningenglish.com. See you soon, goodbye.


Bye bye!

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English.  I'm Dan and joining me is Rob.

Hello.

Here at BBC Learning English,  we're always discussing diets.

I am on a sea-food diet. When I  see food, I just have to eat it!

I suppose there's no chance of  converting you to a vegan diet,  

is there? That seems be the  most talked about food fad at  

the moment – a fad is something that  is popular but only for a short time.

Of course, veganism – that's not eating or using  any products that come from animals – may be  

more than a fad. It could be a lifestyle  that improves our health and the planet.  

And it could be here to stay. But personally,  me becoming a vegan would take some persuading.

I'm sure it would. And in this programme we'll be  discussing the debate about veganism and how it's  

sometimes difficult to change people's minds. But  first a question to answer. We've mentioned what a  

vegan eats but what about a lacto-ovo-vegetarian?  Which one of these items can they eat? Is it:

a) pork

b) fish or

c) cheese?

I'll say b) they can eat fish.

Well, you’ll have to wait until the  end of the programme to find out.  

But now back to veganism. According to  some national surveys, there are now  

around 3.5 million full-time vegans in  the UK... and the number is growing!

And what was recently a radical  lifestyle choice is slowly moving  

into the mainstream – or has become  accepted by most people as normal.

Advocates of veganism say their healthy  lifestyle would also free up space and  

resources for growing food and it would  help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Yeah, but come on Dan. Having a meat-free  

diet means you might not get  all the nutrients you need.

Well, this is all part of the debate, Rob.  There's always two sides to an argument and  

it's something that's been discussed on  BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme.  

They spoke to Dr Jutta Tobias Mortlock, a senior  lecturer in organisational psychology at London's  

City University, who explained why views  about veganism are so polarised – that  

'means causing people to divide into  two groups with opposing views'.

This issue touches on personal beliefs,  and beliefs always trump facts and so,  

often when we talk about beliefs,  we're touching on important values.  

Values are the things that guide our opinion over  what's right versus what's wrong. And so whenever  

people argue over whether it's right or wrong to  eat meat, they are in fact not debating the facts  

around this issue, they're actually debating the  beliefs about what's moral or immoral about this.

So it seems in the whole debate about  veganism we are basing our views on beliefs.  

A belief is something we feel is true or real.  

Our beliefs are based on our values – those  are the things we think are right and wrong.

And when we argue over the  rights and wrongs of veganism,  

we base it on our values – not hard facts. We  talk about our view on what is immoral – so what  

society thinks is wrong or not acceptable. But  basically, there is no right or wrong answer.

That's why we need facts, Rob.

So Dan, what can I do if I want to win  you over to becoming an omnivore, like me?

According to Dr Jutta, there are two main  routes to winning someone over: a direct,  

fact-based approach or a 'peripheral route',  

which might be more effective.  Let's hear her explain how it works.

If I'm working with you and I'm trying to get you  to come round to my side, I might not focus on the  

central facts. I might focus on the peripheral  stuff around how I'm constructing my argument.  

I'd look for ways of how they overlap as  people, like what do they have in common?  

And that's a way to debate an issue such as this  controversial one in a way to get people to feel  

connected to each other and to actually feel that  they value each other as decent human beings.

Interesting! This is a more  subtle way of winning an argument.  

She says we should focus on the  peripheral stuff – these are the  

things that are not as important as the  main argument but are connected to it.

So we could say we're looking for common  ground – things that both sides agree on  

or at least understand. Dr Jutta talked about  making both sides feel connected. And it's a  

good point. Even if you don't want to be a vegan,  you should respect someone's choice to be one.

Yes, it's all about valuing  someone as a decent human being.  

Decent means 'good and having good  moral standards'. Like us, Dan!

Well, they're wise words, Rob! Of course, it would  be morally wrong – immoral – not to give you the  

answer to our quiz question. Earlier I asked which  one of these items can a lacto-ovo-vegetarian eat.

I said b) fish.

Sorry, no – that's something they can't eat –  but they can eat cheese. A lacto-ovo-vegetarian  

is a person who eats vegetables, eggs,  and dairy products but does not eat meat.

No meat! No steak! How can they enjoy eating?!

Rob, remember as a decent human  beings, we respect all views here.

Just joking – but now I'm deadly  serious about reviewing some of  

the vocabulary we've discussed today.

OK. Our first word was fad. A fad is something  that is popular but only for a short time.

Next, we mentioned mainstream.  Something that is mainstream  

has become accepted by most people as normal.

Then we had polarised – that describes a situation  

that causes people to divide into  two groups with opposing views.

A belief is something we feel is true or real.  

And immoral describes something that  society thinks is wrong or not acceptable.

We also mentionedperipheral, which relates  to things that are not as important as  

the main argument, but are connected to  it. It also means situated on the edge.

And finally, decent means good or good enough.

Don't forget you can learn more English with  us on our website at bbclearningenglish.com.

Bye for now.

Goodbye.

Hello. I'm Catherine.

Hello. I'm Rob.

We both started with what is probably the  best-known greeting in English and one of  

the first words English language students learn,  and that is 'hello'! So today in 6 Minute English  

we're digging a little deeper into the world of  greetings and the fascinating history of 'hello'.

Surprisingly, the word 'hello'  is not as old as you might think.  

But when did it first appear in print in English?

Was it:

a) in the 1890s b) the 1950s or 

c) the1820s

Well, I think English changes  really quickly, so I'm going to say  

b) the 1950s. And we'll say 'hello again'  to 'hello' a little later in the programme.

First, greetings. They can  be a bit of a minefield. A  

subject full of unpredictable difficulties.

While in many places a handshake or bow is  normal – there's also the tricky question of  

kisses and hugs.

Awkward. Should you kiss? How many times?  And should your lips touch their cheek?

No, Rob - definitely an air-kiss! Close  to the cheek, but don't touch. Much safer.

Greetings are the subject of a new  book, by former British diplomat  

Andy Scott, called One Kiss or Two:  In Search of the Perfect Greeting.  

Here he is on a BBC radio show Word of  Mouth. Why are greetings so important?

These are the first moments of interaction we  have with people. And it's in those first moments,  

and using those verbal and physical rituals that  we have and we can get in such a muddle about,  

that we're kind of recognising each other and  reaffirming our bonds or even testing our bonds  

and our relationships with each other, we're  signalling our intentions towards each other,  

despite the fact we might not necessarily  be conscious when we're doing them. 

Scott says we need to communicate our intentions  to each other and acknowledge our relationships.

Well, that's what greetings do. One word he  uses to mean 'relationship' or 'connection'  

is bond. We can reaffirm our bonds, which  means we confirm them and make them stronger.

And we do it through rituals -patterns of  behaviour that we do for a particular purpose.  

So there are the phrases such as 'hello',  'good afternoon', 'nice to meet you',  

and as well as the physical rituals  – handshakes, bows and kisses.

Though he also said we sometimes want to test our  bonds. We might want to check if our friendship  

has grown by offering something warmer than  usual – like a hug instead of a handshake.

Now, Scott acknowledges how difficult  greetings can be – using the very British  

slang phrase – to get in a muddle. If you get  in a muddle, you become confused or lost. You  

might get in a muddle if one person expects  two kisses and the other expects only one.

Though Scott does believe that the details  don't really matter, because another important  

purpose of greetings is to reduce tension.  So if you get it wrong, just laugh about it.

OK, let's get back to the one word we really  shouldn't get in a muddle about, 'hello'.

Let's listen to Dr Laura Wright, a  linguist from Cambridge University,  

also speaking on the BBC Word of Mouth radio  programme. Where does 'hello' come from?

It starts as a distant hailing: "I see you miles  over there and I've got to yell at you." It's not  

until the invention of telephones we really get  to use hello as a greeting to each other, and  

even then it wasn't initially used as a greeting,  it was used more as an attention-grabbing device:  

"You are miles away, the line is about to be cut,  I need to attract the attention of the operator  

as well." And so everybody would call 'hello' to  each other as this long-distance greeting form.

Laura says 'hello' hasn't always meant  'hello' – originally it was just a shout  

to attract someone's attention. And  we call this kind of shouting hailing.

The shout would vary in form – it could  sound like a 'hollo'! Or a 'hulloa'!

We continued this kind of hailing  when telephones first appeared.  

People would keep repeating 'hello, hello'  while they were waiting to be connected.  

And before long, this became the actual way  to greet somebody on the telephone. Anyway,  

before we say 'goodbye' to 'hello' –  let's have the answer to today's question.

I asked when the word first  appeared in print in English.  

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it  was in 1826. Other spellings appeared before that.

Ah, you see – I was thinking English changes  really quickly, but not that quickly.

Not that quickly.

So before we go, let's have a  look at today's vocabulary again.  

A minefield is something that is  full of uncertainty and even danger.  

This sense comes from the literal meaning  – a field full of explosive landmines!

And then we had air-kiss – which is when  you kiss the air beside someone's face,  

instead of the face itself! Like this: mwah.

And we had bond – a connection. There's  a close bond between us I think, Rob.

Which is good, because when I get in a  muddle, you're always very understanding!

Yeah.

To get in a muddle means to become confused.

Ritual was another word –  rituals are certain behaviours  

that people perform in certain contexts. I have  a morning ritual, for example: brush my teeth,  

eat breakfast… I didn't say it  was an interesting ritual, Rob!

No, that's true. Finally, to hail  – it's to greet someone loudly,  

especially from a distance. I hailed my  friend when I saw her at the airport.

And that's it for this programme.  For more, find us on Facebook,  

Twitter, Instagram and YouTube,  and of course our website! Bye!

Bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I'm Sam.

And I'm Georgina.

Georgina, what languages do you speak?

Well, my mother tongue is English and  I also speak Spanish and French badly!

OK. It’s interesting that we say ‘mother  tongue’, isn’t it? Like many languages,  

English has a number of gender-specific terms that  don’t refer to gender-specific ideas and concepts.  

And this complicated relationship  between language and gender  

is what we will be talking about today.  But first, this week’s quiz question,  

which is also on the topic of languages.  Which of these languages is the newest? Is it:

A: Esperanto

B: Afrikaans

C: Light Warlpiri

What do you think, Georgina?

Well, I’ve only heard of two of these - Esperanto  and Afrikaans – so I think I’m going to choose the  

other one, Light Warlpiri, purely as I’ve never  heard of it, so I think that must be the one.

OK, well we’ll find out if your intuition is  correct later in the programme. Professor Lera  

Boroditsky is a cognitive scientist who was  a guest on the BBC World Service programme,  

The Conversation. She was asked about why  we use the term ‘mother tongue’ in English.

Different languages actually do it differently,  but definitely there’s a strong association  

between mothers as primary caregivers and  people who teach us things, and so there’s that  

point of origin metaphor that  applies in a lot of languages.

So, how does she explain the  use of mother tongue, Georgina?

Well, she says it’s a form of metaphor. A metaphor  is a way of describing something by comparing it  

to something else. In a metaphor,though, you  don’t say that something is like something else,  

you say that it ‘is’ something else. For example,  having good friends is the key to a happy life.

It is indeed. In this metaphor, language is  seen as coming from your primary caregiver,  

the person who looked after you most when you  were young, and traditionally this was mothers. 

So, this is perhaps the point of origin,  the starting place,of the metaphorical  

phrase, mother tongue. Let’s listen again.

Different languages actually do it  differently, but definitely there’s  

a strong association between mothers as  primary caregivers and people who teach  

us things, and so there’s that point of origin  metaphor that applies in a lot of languages.

Language is very powerful in society and culture,  

and when it comes to gendered language, it can  cause some issues. Here’s Lera Boroditsky again:

… in English of course we have some  words that are gendered, like ‘actor’  

and ‘actress’ or ‘waiter’ and ‘waitress’, and  very commonly when there are those two gender  

forms people perceive the masculine form  as being a more prestigious job or the more  

skilled job than the feminine form, so an actor  is a fancier job than an actress and a waiter  

is a fancier job than a waitress, and so they  could then come with pay disparities and so on.

So, what’s the subconscious difference in attitude  towards, for example, an actor and actress?

Well, she says that people perceive those roles  differently. This means that we are aware of, or  

believe there is a difference in the jobs because  of the vocabulary. The male form is perceived  

to be more prestigious – more important, more  respected, even though it’s exactly the same job.

And this attitude can lead to  problems such as disparities in pay.  

A disparity is a difference, an inequality,  and in the world of work it can mean men  

getting paid more than women for the same  job. Here’s Professor Boroditsky again.

…in English of course we have some  words that are gendered, like ‘actor’  

and ‘actress’ or ‘waiter’ and ‘waitress’, and  very commonly when there are those two gender  

forms people perceive the masculine form  as being a more prestigious job or a more  

skilled job than the feminine form, so an actor  is a fancier job than an actress and a waiter  

is a fancier job than a waitress, and so they  could then come with pay disparities and so on.

OK, before we take another  look at today’s vocabulary,  

let’s reveal the answer to this week’s quiz.  Which of these languages is the newest, is it:

A: Esperanto

B: Afrikaans

C: Light Warlpiri

Georgina, what did you say?

I thought it had to be Light Walpiri, but  just because I had never heard of it before.

Well, congratulations. Your instincts were good,  

that is correct. Let’s move on to vocabulary  and look at today’s words and phrase again.

A primary caregiver is a person who has most  responsibility for looking after someone.

A point of origin is the place  or time when something begins.

A metaphor is a way of describing  something. We can say that something  

is something else that has similar qualities.

You’re a star!

Aw, thank you.

No, I meant, you're a star,  is an example of a metaphor.

Oh, OK. Of course, I knew that.

Mmmm, if you say so. To perceive is to  think of something in a particular way.  

We might perceive the value of different jobs  based on the vocabulary used to describe them.

Something prestigious is important and respected.

And finally, a disparity is a difference,  an inequality and is often used when  

talking about how men and women aren’t  always paid the same for the same job.  

And that is all from us. We look forward to  your company again soon. In the meantime,  

you can always find us online, on social media  and on the BBC Learning English app. Bye for now.

Bye!