The World in Words

Professional soccer used to export its English-language terminology, giving other languages words like “penalty” and “goal.” But now, the roles are reversed. English-speakers use expressions loaned from other languages to describe skill moves: “rabona,” “panenka,” “gegenpress.”

Ever wondered about people who can improvise on stage? Neuroscientist Charles Limb and comedian Anthony Veneziale did. First came the bromance, then Veneziale found himself improvising inside an fMRI machine.

This week on the podcast we talk about Basque. How did this language survive the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco when speaking and writing and reading were illegal? With more than six dialects, how did Basque develop a language standard? And how has this minority language thrived and even grown in the years since Francisco Franco’s dictatorship ended?

Karolina lives in Boston but grew up in several countries and speaks a bunch of languages. Her English is perfect but she doesn’t feel completely at home in it, or in American culture. Welcome to the world of third culture kids, a fast-growing group of people who fit in everywhere and nowhere.

Alina Simone was born in the Soviet Union to Russian-speaking parents. She has given up on passing the language on to her daughter.