Much Language Such Talk Much Language Such Talk

Welcome back to Season 3 of Much Language Such Talk!

To kick off season 3 we have invited a guest that has been on our wish list for a long time. And hold on to your seats because what you’re about to hear is extraordinary. Our guest for today is Richard Simcott.

Richard is a hyperpolyglot, which means he is fluent in more languages than the entire podcast team combined - and there is 9 of us. He has studied over 50 languages, and speaks about 25-30 regularly. How impressive is that!

Richard was born in England and is now considered one of the most multilingual people from the UK. He has studied over 50 languages, and has documented his journey and experience learning several of them. He has been asked to advise on multilingual and multinational projects, and has consulted Forbes magazine (among many others) on language learning. He has been named an ambassador for multilingualism by the German Goethe Institut, has been featured in the Guardian and has co-founded the Polyglot Conference. He is a household name in the polyglot community with 12,000 followers on Instagram and Twitter, 25.000 followers on Facebook and a TikTok channel to help you with language learning, providing tips and fun facts! 

Check out his website, Speaking Fluently, and make sure to follow him on the social media channels linked above!

MLST is brought to you by volunteers at Bilingualism Matters   Edinburgh. The views of our guests don’t always reflect  our own, as we hope to provide an accessible platform for the  findings of current research and the perspectives of experts.  For more resources like definitions of linguistic terms, episode  transcripts, and information about the team, go to our website at www.mlstpodcast.com.

Recorded on 28/08/2022

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

The end of season 2 is here, but we have a great episode for you!

In this episode, we’re going to talk about bilingual reading development with a leading expert in the field – Dr Holly Joseph. Holly is an Associate Professor of Language Education and Literacy Development at the Institute of Education, at University of Reading.

Her research focuses on reading development and difficulties, vocabulary  learning, eye movements during reading, developmental disorders, and, what we are going to discuss further today, bilingual reading development, especially in children who speak English as an Additional  Language.

On top of her teaching and research, Holly is the Co-Director of Bilingualism Matters at the University of Reading, as well as the Co-Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, and the Director of CELM, the Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism.

Originally from the UK, she speaks English, and Spanish.

Go to our website to read the transcript!

MLST is brought to you by volunteers at Bilingualism Matters  Edinburgh. The views of our guests don’t always reflect our own, as we hope to provide an accessible platform for the findings of current research and the perspectives of experts. For more resources like definitions of linguistic terms, episode transcripts, and information about the team, go to our website at www.mlstpodcast.com.

Recorded on 30/05/2022

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Welcome back to another episode of MLST! In this episode, we’re going to talk about how our emotions, and identity, are tied to our languages to the leading expert in the field - Jean-Marc Dewaele. Jean-Marc is a Professor of Applied Linguistics & Multilingualism at the Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics at Birkbeck University of London.

His research focuses on language and emotions very broadly, and from many different perspectives, with his main interests being individual differences, psychology of language learning, foreign language acquisition and multilingualism. He has done research on the challenges that multilinguals face in communicating and recognising emotions in different contexts, such as emotional resonance of languages, loving in a second language, or swearing in a second language. He has also done research on psychotherapy in a second language, but also classroom emotions and language anxiety.

As if he’s not busy enough, he is the director of the Centre for Multilingual and Multicultural Research, and the Scholarships and Awards Officer of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning, plus he is a member of the executive committee at the London Second Language Forum. He is the General Editor of the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and he won the Equality and Diversity Research Award from the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy in 2013, and the Robert Gardner Award for Excellence in L2 and Bilingualism research from IALSP in 2016.

Originally from Belgium, he speaks French, Dutch, English, and Spanish

Go to our website to read the transcript!

MLST is brought to you by volunteers at Bilingualism Matters Edinburgh. The views of our guests don’t always reflect  our own, as we hope to provide an accessible platform for the findings  of current research and the perspectives of experts. For  more resources like definitions of linguistic terms, episode  transcripts, and information about the team, go to our website at www.mlstpodcast.com.

Recorded on 26/04/2022

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Welcome to another episode of Much Language Such Talk! We have been talking about this episode for a long time, and it's finally here!

For this episode, we interviewed Joe Pearce. He is a PhD researcher at the University of Glasgow. His research looks at gender differences in the production and perception of voice quality in contemporary Scotland from a trans-focused perspective. They have investigated whether listeners use creaky voice and breathy voice as cues to a speaker’s gender before, and his current research is looking at voice quality across three regions of Scotland with an in-depth look at three transgender speakers’ use of voice quality and how they understand it. He has given workshops on language in the LGBTQ+ community, and contributed to public engagement regarding language and gender.

He served as the President of the Glasgow University English Language Society from 2018-2019, and as the Secretary of the Glasgow University Linguistics Society from 2019-2020.

Go to our website to read the transcript!

MLST is brought to you by volunteers at Bilingualism Matters Edinburgh. The views of our guests don’t always reflect our own, as we hope to provide an accessible platform for the findings of current research and the perspectives of experts. For more resources like definitions of linguistic terms, episode transcripts, and information about the team, go to our website at www.mlstpodcast.com.

Recorded on 11/04/2022

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Welcome to another exciting episode of Much Language Such Talk! Did you know that March 27th is International Day of Multilingualism?  To celebrate this awesome day we’re joined by Dr. Thomas Bak, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh.

Born and raised in Cracow, Poland, Dr Thomas H Bak studied medicine  and worked as a clinician in psychiatry and neurology in Bern, Berlin,  Cambridge, and Edinburgh. From 2010-2018 he was the president of the World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Aphasia, Dementia and Cognitive Disorders (WFN RG ADCD).

His main research interest is the relationship between language,  brain and mind, with a recent focus on the impact of language learning  and multilingualism on cognitive functions across the lifespan and in  brain diseases such as dementia and stroke. He conducts his research in a  wide range of populations, from Scotland, through India, to Singapore.  Not only does Thomas conduct research across the world, but you can  often find him lecturing across the world in 7 languages, talking with  press, on the radio and in TV interviews, as well as advising policy  makers, from the House of Lords, to the European Commission.

In additional to Thomas’ public engagements, he is the Program  Director of Bilingualism in later life, healthy ageing & dementia at  Bilingualism Matters and is the Co-founder of the Healthy Linguistic Diet.

In his free time, Thomas enjoys, unsurprisingly, learning languages,  hill walking, reading poetry and cooking. If you would like to get in  touch with Thomas, you can find him on Twitter @thbaketal.

MLST is brought to you by volunteers at Bilingualism Matters  Edinburgh. The views of our guests don’t always reflect our  own, as we hope to provide an accessible platform for the findings of  current research and the perspectives of experts. For more resources like definitions of linguistic terms, episode transcripts, and information about the team, go to our website at www.mlstpodcast.com.

Recorded on 03/03/2022

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Welcome back to another episode of Much Language Such Talk! 

Today's episode will be about Language and Art, and how language (learning) can be visualized through art. To discuss this we have invited two wonderful guests: Marion Geoffray and Dobrochna Futro.

Marion Geoffray is a performer, theatre-maker, creative practitioner, and she is the artistic director of Theater Sans Accents,  a bilingual theatre company here in Edinburgh. Her work explores  questions of home, identity, relationships and communication while  playing with linguistic and cultural boundaries on and off stage. She’s  interested in intercultural and multidisciplinary collaborations and has  through the years partnered up with many leading cultural and artistic  organisations such as Starcatchers, Imaginate, Bilingualism Matters, YTAS, Institut Francais d’Ecosse,  Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Council. Her recent credits  include: Arts in Tongues, MEuseum, MARYLAND, Danger Duvall: Space /Time  Adventurer and KNOTS.

Dobrochna Futro is a PhD candidate and Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of  Glasgow. Her PhD research investigates the multilingual practices of  contemporary artists and their implications for language pedagogy, and  the insights gained from researching how contemporary art engages with  multilingualism to design new approaches to language learning and  develop resources for teaching the Polish language in Scottish primary  schools. Her recent roles include joint-principal investigator of  Multilingual Devised Theatre project, leading member of the On the  Border of Art and Language Teaching in the Multilingual World organising  committee, and fellow volunteer at the Edinburgh branch of Bilingualism  Matters.

Join us to hear more about their ideas, projects, and to learn how art can facilitate language learning!

MLST is brought to you by volunteers at Bilingualism Matters Edinburgh. The  views of our guests don’t always reflect our own, as we hope to provide an accessible platform for the findings of  current  research and the perspectives of experts. For more resources  like  definitions of linguistic terms, episode transcripts, and information about the team, go to our website at www.mlstpodcast.com. 

Recorded on 16/02/2022 

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss