Linguistically Aware

CJSW 90.9 FM

Hosted by PhD student, Brooklyn Sheppard, Linguistically Aware brings in linguists - experts who study language - to talk about the ways in which language and linguistics interact with our daily lives. From how children and adults learn their first or second languages to how linguistics plays a role in rap music, Linguistically Aware makes the scientific study of language a fun and accessible journey for everyone!

  1. 4D AGO

    Linguistically Aware - Episode February 10, 2026

    Melody meets grammar: How sentence structure and prosody interact across different languages PhD student Jesse Weir talks with Dr. Anja Arnhold about the relationship between prosody and syntax, her path into linguistics, and how different languages shape the way structure and melody work together.

  2. JAN 9

    Linguistically Aware - Episode January 13, 2026

    From Linguistics to Epidemiology (Part 2): Humanities in a Data-Driven World Continuing our conversation with Dr. Hracs, we explore how linguistics and epidemiology intersect, and how humanities scholars can move into data-driven fields like public health research.

  3. 12/04/2025

    Linguistically Aware - Episode December 9, 2025

    From Linguistics to Epidemiology (Part 1): Patterns in Language and Health Dr. Lindsay Hracs shares her journey from linguistics to leading data science in the Kaplan epidemiology lab, highlighting surprising parallels between the two fields and the cutting-edge research shaping her lab at the University of Calgary.

  4. 11/07/2025

    Linguistically Aware - Episode November 11, 2025

    The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism with James Geary In this episode, Brooklyn sits down with James Geary - author of "The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism" to chat about the newly released second edition of this book. James tells us what aphorisms are, how he came to love them, and how this early form of language and literature persists in the digital age today of social media and AI chatbots! James Geary is also the author of "Wit's End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It" (W.W. Norton), "I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World" (HarperCollins), and "Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists" (Bloomsbury). He is an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, the former deputy curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, and the former editor of the European edition of Time magazine.

  5. 09/04/2025

    Linguistically Aware - Episode September 9, 2025

    More Than Words: Inferences Beyond Language with Dr. Lyn Tieu In this episode, guest host Jesse Weir sits down with Dr. Lyn Tieu (University of Toronto) to talk about how we make meaning from more than just words. From gestures to emojis, Dr. Tieu’s research explores the surprising ways people draw inferences from non-linguistic cues. Tune in to rethink what counts as "language" in communication!

  6. 08/06/2025

    Linguistically Aware - Episode August 12, 2025

    The Secrets of Sarcasm: Exploring Voice Pitch and Perception Want to learn the secrets behind sarcasm? In this episode, Brooklyn talks about her ongoing research on the perception of sarcasm. Specifically, she talks about a study where she had speakers vary the pitch of their voice in a very systematic way, and then asked listeners to rate how sarcastic it sounded to better understand what it is in someone’s voice that makes them sound sarcastic or not!

  7. 07/03/2025

    Linguistically Aware - Episode July 8, 2025

    From Bengali to English: The Sounds That Challenge Our Ears with Sazzad In this episode, Brooklyn sits down with Syed Sazzad Alam, a PhD student at the University of Calgary that studies phonetics - the study of speech sounds. In this interview, Sazzad talks about some of his research on how native English speakers perceive unfamiliar sounds from his own native language, Bengali!

  8. 06/04/2025

    Linguistically Aware - Episode June 10, 2025

    Let’s Talk Time: Francisco Ongay on Language and the Expression of Time In this episode, Brooklyn sits down with Francisco Ongay, a current PhD student studying syntax at the University of Calgary. Francisco studies how we use language to express time, whether it be past versus present (e.g., “I slept” versus “I will sleep”) or the duration of an event (e.g., “I slept for 8 hours”). In this interview Francisco talks about how we express time in several languages of the world!

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About

Hosted by PhD student, Brooklyn Sheppard, Linguistically Aware brings in linguists - experts who study language - to talk about the ways in which language and linguistics interact with our daily lives. From how children and adults learn their first or second languages to how linguistics plays a role in rap music, Linguistically Aware makes the scientific study of language a fun and accessible journey for everyone!

Information

  • Creator
    CJSW 90.9 FM
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 CJSW Radio
  • Show Website
    Linguistically Aware