
28/07/2009
Chris Ledgard explores the idea that the language we speak shapes the way we are and the way we see the world: that we really are different in different languages.
Chris Ledgard explores the idea that the language we speak shapes the way we are and the way we see the world: that we really are different in different languages.
The programme visits a group of Asian women at home to hear about all the languages they speak, and how they manage to switch effortlessly between them. We talk to the professor who is leading research into the idea that the actual structure of our language makes a difference to the way we think.
And we hear from an Australian expert who believes that the difficulty of the English system of numbers puts English-speaking children at a disadvantage when it comes to learning to count.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Tue 28 Jul 200916:00BBC Radio 4
- Mon 3 Aug 200923:00BBC Radio 4
Listen to Michael Rosen in conversation with The Open University
Explore the OU’s Cultural Idioms Guide
From blunk to brickfielder: our wonderful words for weather
Digital body language – how to communicate better online
Coinages that changed the world – and some that tried to...
Ittibitium, borborygmus, and Ba humbugi – 14 wonderful science words you’ve never heard of
Smiley face: Seven things you didn't know about emoji
The funny words that kids invent
Podcast
![]()
Word of Mouth
Series exploring the world of words and the ways in which we use them











