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Radio Omniglot

12 Episodes

17 minutes | a month ago
Episode 39 – What a Year!
In this episode I look back at 2020 and talk about what I’ve been up to this year in terms of work, language learning and other stuff. Music featured in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. Goats / Geifr Simon Ager · Goats / Geifr You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM, podtail and or via this RSS feed. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
15 minutes | 2 months ago
Episode 38 – Success and Failure
In this episode I discuss success and failure, particularly in relation to learning languages. Are they just different ways of look at the same thing? At what point can you say that you have succeeded to learn a language, or have failed? Does it matter? I was inspired to make this episode by a video in which Jack Conte, the CEO of Patreon shares his most epic failures. Here’s an example of a ‘real’ polyglot – a friend of mine called Richard Simcott, who runs the Polyglot Conference and similar events. Music featured in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM, podtail and or via this RSS feed. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
14 minutes | 3 months ago
Episode 37 – The Hardest Languages
In this episode I discuss which languages are hardest to learn, and what makes some languages more difficult to learn than others. It’s not possible to provide a definitive list of the most challenging languages as it depends on a variety of factors. This hasn’t stopped people from doing this anyway. Here are some examples: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/hardest-languages-to-learn/ https://www.languagedrops.com/blog/10-hardest-languages-to-learn https://www.lingholic.com/hardest-languages-learn/ https://effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty/ https://bestlifeonline.com/most-difficult-languages/ Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM, podtail and or via this RSS feed. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
18 minutes | 4 months ago
Episode 36 – The Easiest Languages
In this episode I discuss which languages are easiest to learn for native speakers of English, and what factors make languages easy or difficult to learn, including grammar, spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, the availablity of resources, and so on. Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. The Happy Hedgehog / Y Draenog Hapus Simon Ager · The Happy Hedgehog / Y Draenog Hapus You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM, podtail and or via this RSS feed. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
21 minutes | 5 months ago
Episode 35 – Adventures in Etymology
In this episode I take you on an adventure in etymology, the study of where words come from, and how they have changed over time. I start with the word etymology, and see where I end up. Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. Push ad Pull / Gwthio a Thynnu Simon Ager · Push and Pull / Gwthio a Thynnu You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM, podtail and or via this RSS feed. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
19 minutes | 7 months ago
Episode 34 – Dutch
In this episode I talk about Dutch (Nederlands), a West Germanic language spoken mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium. I talk about the language itself and its history, about my attempts to learn it, and related stuff. English words of Dutch origin include: Santa Claus, yacht, yankee, wildebeest, wagon, wiggle, waffle, stove, stoop, snack, skate, scone, rover, poppycock, pickle, plug, mannequin, maelstrom, luck, landscape, knapsack, jib, gin, furlough and many more [source]. Dutch pages on Omniglot Information about Dutch Useful Phrases Silly Phrases Colours Numbers Time Family words Weather words Tongue twisters Tower of Babel Dutch Learning materials Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. Cats on the Shed / Cathod ar y Cwt Simon Ager · Cats on the Shed / Cathod ar y Cwt See the score of this tune You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM, podtail and or via this RSS feed. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
31 minutes | 7 months ago
Episode 33 – Giving Up
In this episode I talk about reasons why we stop learning learning langauges. Why we give up on them and quit. This is based on a poll I posted on the Omniglot Fan Club on Facebook. Top reasons for giving up on a language include losing interest, not having enough time, getting distracted, another language seemed more interesting, and it being too hard. Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. Lifting the Lid / Codi’r Caead – a tune I wrote on the cavaquinho in 2020. Simon Ager · Lifting the Lid / Codi’r Caead See the score of this tune If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
41 minutes | 8 months ago
Episode 32 – Acutal Fluency
In this episode I talk to fellow podcaster and language nerd, Kris Broholm. He makes The Acutal Fluency Podcast, on which he talks to language learners about their language learning experiences and journeys. We talk about language learning, about Danish (Kris is from Denmark), and other language-related things. Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. The Loose Moose / Yr Elc Rhydd – a tune I wrote on the harp in 2016. Simon Ager · The Loose Moose / Yr Elc Rhydd If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
20 minutes | 9 months ago
Episode 31 – Talent
In this episode I talk about talent, particularly talent for languages. Do some people have an innate talent for learning languages? Do others lack such a talent? If you don’t have a talent for languages, can you learn one anyway? Further reading: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-innate-talent-a-myth/ Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. Little Red Boats / Cychod bach coch – a tune I wrote on the cavaquinho in 2017. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
21 minutes | 10 months ago
Epsiode 30 – Gibberish
In this episode I talk about, and in, Gibberish – what it is, where it comes from, how I learnt it, and possible reasons why some people find it difficult to learn. How to speak Gibberish: Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this tune. Dancing on Custard / Dawnsio ar Gwstard – a tune I wrote on the harp in 2016. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
19 minutes | a year ago
Episode 26 – The Man Who Made Birch Bark Talk
In this episode I tell the story of the Man Who Made Birch Bark Talk, or James Evans, who invented the Ojibwe script, and later adapted it to write Cree, Inuktitut, and a number of other languages. Sample text in Ojibwe syllabics ᑲᑭᓇᐌᓀᓐ ᑲᐱᒪᑎᓯᐗᑦ ᓂᑕᐎᑭᐗᒃ ᑎᐯᓂᒥᑎᓱᐎᓂᒃ ᒥᓇ ᑕᐱᑕ ᑭᒋᐃᓀᑕᑯᓯᐎᓐ ᑲᔦ ᑌᐸᑫᑕᑯᓯᐎᓐ᙮ ᐅᑕᔭᓇᐗ ᒥᑲᐎᐎᓐ ᑲᔦ ᓂᑄᑲᐎᓐ ᒥᓇᐗ ᑕᔥ ᒋᐃᔑᑲᓇᐗᐸᑎᐗᐸᓐ ᐊᒐᑯ ᒥᓄᐎᒋᐎᑎᐎᓂᒃ᙮ Transliteration Kakinawenen kapimatisiwat nitawikiwak tipenimitisowinik mina tapita kiciinetakosiwin kaye tepaketakosiwin. Otayanawa mikawiwin kaye nipwakawin minawa tash ciishikanawapatiwapan acako minowiciwitiwinik. Translation All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1) Information about James Evans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Evans_(linguist) http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/04/birchbarktalk.shtml http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?id_nbr=3376 https://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/collections/special_collections/f10_james_evans https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/xmlui/handle/1993/9207 https://archive.org/details/jamesevansinven00maclgoog/page/n7 Did James Evans really invent the Ojibwe script? https://medium.com/naheyawin/sakikin-sharing-knowledge-did-james-evans-invent-cree-syllabics-53253e00e95a https://creeliteracy.org/beginning-to-read-plains-cree-in-standard-roman-orthography/another-version-of-cree-literacy-the-cree-story-of-syllabics/ http://www.languagegeek.com/typography/syllabics/syl1.html Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this piece Anishinaabe Spirit Bear Song – a song in Western Ojibwa (Nakawēmowin / ᓇᐦᑲᐌᒧᐎᓐ), a dialect of Ojibwe spoken in southern Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan in Canada, It is also known as Saulteaux or Plains Ojibwa. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.
29 minutes | a year ago
Episode 25 – Fishing for Words
In this episode I talk to a friend of mine, Ruth Fischer, about her experiences of learning and using languages. Ruth grew up in Wales speaking English at home, and learnt Welsh, French and German at school. She spent a year in Switzerland as an au-pair, which was good for her German and French, and has learnt bits and pieces of a few other languages, including Swedish, Danish and Icelandic. I’ve known Ruth for quite a few years – we met at a singing class we used to go to, and have sung and played recorders together in various groups since then. Here’s a photo of Ruth (in red), our friend Femke (in yellow), and me (in blue) taken in Llandudno. We were taking part in a game devised by Femke for LLAWN – Llandudno Arts Weekend. Since January 2019 we have met regularly to talk about songs we’re writing, and to sing and play recorders together. In September 2019 we recorded some of our songs and put them on a CD for a member of our group, Rosie, who was too ill to attend at the time. Sadly she died in October 2019. More information about SaySomethinginWelsh – courses also available in Spanish, Dutch, Latin, Cornish and Manx. Tunes features in this episode Hedge Cats / Cathod y Gwyrch See the score for this piece The Bells of Hirael / Clychau Hirael – this tune has featured in a previous episode, but this version is for recorders. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. See the score for this piece
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