Podcast episodes
Season 3
The British Whisperer - A Toast to a Year and a Word
Wonder why we call it making a “toast”? Read a history of the word from The New York Times. As we raise a glass to the past year and the one ahead, let’s explore the history of the tradition and what are the reasons behind the use of this name. Cheers everyone!
Season 2
The British Whisperer - What is your language instinct?
How do you learn a language? ChatGPT’s way with words raises questions about how humans acquire language. A debate about what the machines are actually doing internally, what it is that humans, in turn, do when they speak— and, inside the academy, about the theories of the world’s most famous linguist, Noam Chomsky. Listen to know all!
The British Whisperer - Don't Call Me Mr
I'll talk about the trend among almost all newspapers and magazines (the latest one is The Wall Street Journal) to drop courtesy titles as editors have concluded that the titles in news articles are becoming a vestige of a more-formal past, and that the flood of Mr., Ms., Mx. or Mrs. in sentences can slow down readers’ enjoyment of writing. Also, The New York Times has introduced “enhanced bylines” that tells readers more about how journalists did the reporting. Curious to know more?
The British Whisperer - A guide to translation
A guide to Translation made by Italian writer Italo Calvino as extracted from The Written World and the Unwritten World by Italo Calvino, by Ann Goldstein. ‘Translation is the true way of reading a text’ wrote Calvino on translations of his work from the Italian adding: 'In English, I may not recognise myself at all': Italo Calvino. How do you usually translate? Listen to know more.
The British Whisperer - A Pulitzer Prize to "English"
What do the most coveted press award and English learning have in common? Well, it seems a lot actually given that the latest Pulitzer for drama has been recently awarded to "English", a play by Iranian-American playwright Sanaz Toosi, which features four Iranians preparing for Toefl and finding second selves in another language. Discover more by listening to the episode!