A Musical Brain May Help Us Understand Language And Appreciate Tchaikovsky
Compared with monkeys, humans have a brain that is extremely sensitive to a sound's pitch. And that may reflect our exposure to speech and music.
Language
Why Prince Charles Said 'God Don Butta My Bread!' In Nigeria
This month, he visited Lagos and greeted the crowd with a few phrases in pidgin English. What was the local reaction?
Bringing Up Baby
This week we focus on the behavior of the youngest members of the human race. We try to translate the mysterious language of babies. And we ask, when should we step back and just let our children be?
A New Law In Latvia Aims To Preserve National Language By Limiting Russian In Schools
Many Latvians believe they need to protect themselves against cultural and political assimilation by their giant neighbor. But the country's Russian speakers say the new law is discriminatory.
Finding The Right Words To Help Rohingya Refugees
A group called Translators Without Borders is developing a glossary to help humanitarian workers in Bangladesh communicate with Rohingya refugees.
Watch Your Mouth
This week on the Hidden Brain radio show, we explore how the constantly evolving nature of languages can give us different ways of understanding ourselves as well as the world we live in.
Baby Talk: Decoding The Secret Language Of Babies
To us non-babies, babbles like "ah-gah" and "dadadadada" can sound like cute gobbledygook. But they don't have to be such a mystery. We'll get a primer on how to decipher the dialect of tiny humans.
What This Picture Of Beyoncé Tells Us About How Generation Z Connects
Why talk when you can say it with an emoji or a GIF? "Instead of me telling someone how good I look, I can just send them a picture of Beyoncé in a queen's outfit," Youth Radio's Robert Fisher says.