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Much Language Such Talk

Much Language Such Talk

By Much Language Such Talk

Welcome to the Much Language Such Talk podcast! We love languages and know everyone has a connection to the language, or languages!, they speak. Here we're going to talk about the benefits of learning new languages and what it means for you, your brain, and the world!
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S3 E1: What's a Polyglot? - Richard Simcott

Much Language Such TalkSep 29, 2022

00:00
01:11:22
S3 E1: What's a Polyglot? - Richard Simcott

S3 E1: What's a Polyglot? - Richard Simcott

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

Sep 29, 202201:11:22
S2 E13 Bilingual Literacy - Dr Holly Joseph

S2 E13 Bilingual Literacy - Dr Holly Joseph

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

Jun 30, 202201:11:44
S2 E12: Language and Emotions - Prof. Jean-Marc Dewaele

S2 E12: Language and Emotions - Prof. Jean-Marc Dewaele

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

May 26, 202201:01:59
S2 E11: Language and Gender- Joe Pearce

S2 E11: Language and Gender- Joe Pearce

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

Apr 28, 202251:48
S2 E10: Language and Health - Dr. Thomas Bak

S2 E10: Language and Health - Dr. Thomas Bak

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

Mar 24, 202257:11
S2 E9: Language & Art: Marion Geoffray & Dobrochna Futro

S2 E9: Language & Art: Marion Geoffray & Dobrochna Futro

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

Feb 24, 202250:17
Special Release: Love Languages

Special Release: Love Languages

Happy Valentines Day!

Welcome to our very first special episode, just in time for that international day of love. Have you ever wondered why you use a specific language to express certain emotions? Why it feels so much stronger to more intense to say "I love you" in your first language? In this episode we're going to be talking about just that! How we say we care for those around us and learning a bit on why our languages and emotions are connected!

In this special episode we're joined by our friends and family, as well as Dr. Jean-Marc Dewaele a language and emotion researcher at Birkbeck University of London. Jean-Marc studies how our languages interact with how multilinguals communicate and recognise emotions in different situations. So if you've ever wondered why saying something in your first-second- or third-language feels different, Jean-Marc is here to tell us a little bit on why.

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.

Music: sacramento railroad trip banjo and steel guitar train music by JuliusH

Sound effects: Falling harp chime twinkle & Cartoon harp gliss 0006 by Dreamstime


Feb 14, 202244:04
S2 E8: ConLangs - David J. Peterson and Jessie Sams

S2 E8: ConLangs - David J. Peterson and Jessie Sams

Happy new year everybody!
For this episode, we will talk about language invention! We are delighted to welcome two of the world’s most renowned conlangers, Jessie Sams and David Peterson.

Jessie Sams is a Professor of Linguistics at Stephen F. Austin State University at the Department of Languages, Cultures and Communication. She generally teaches linguistic courses such as English grammar and the history of English, but she also established a course on language invention at the University where students get to create their own languages throughout the semester. Her research primarily focuses on syntax and semantics, constructed languages, and English etymology. And funnily enough, she actually started studying Physics, until she was introduced to Linguistics, and she never looked back!

Our other guest is David J. Peterson. David is one of the most famous Conlangers in the world today. With a background in English and Linguistics, he has created the languages in Game of Thrones such as Dothraki and High Valyrian, Syfy’s Defiance, the CW’s The 100, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, Marvel’s Doctor Strange and Thor, and Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.He also co-founded the Language Creation Society and served as the president from 2011 until 2014. David is also a published author of the books  Living Language Dothraki, the best-selling guide to the Dothraki language from Game of Thrones. In the fall of 2015 David published his nonfiction work The Art of Language Invention.

David and Jessie work together on several projects now, for example Motherland: Fort Salem and Netflix’s The Witcher. They also teased some projects they currently have lined up that they can’t quite talk about yet - so there’s definitely more to come!
The both of them also started a youtube channel, LangTimeStudio, where they stream and take you through the steps of creating a new language.

Other interesting things mentioned:
Wired Interview
Kamikawi Language

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 04/01/2022

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss


Jan 20, 202201:09:11
S2 E7: Language as a Human Right - Fernand de Varennes

S2 E7: Language as a Human Right - Fernand de Varennes

This episode is dedicated to Human Rights Day, which we celebrated on Dec 10th.
For this, we have invited a very special guest, and we are honoured to have him with us today:
Fernand de Varennes.

Prof. de Varennes was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues by the Human Rights Council and assumed his functions in August 2017. His work and commitment focuses on the human rights of minorities, as well as the prevention of ethnic conflicts, the rights of migrants, the relationship between ethnicity, human rights and democracies, and the use of federalism and balancing competing cultural interests.

His contributions on these topics span the world, including being Extraordinary Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria, Adjunct Professor at the National University of Ireland-Galway (Ireland), a professorship for almost 20 years at Murdoch University in Australia, and as a guest professor at 12 different institutions in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Prof. de Varennes has written reports for and spoken in numerous forums on these issues including before UN committees, and the European Parliament.

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 09/12/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Dec 23, 202159:03
S2 E6: Minoritized Languages - Guillem Belmar Viernes

S2 E6: Minoritized Languages - Guillem Belmar Viernes

Did you guys know that it’s estimated that half of the world’s 7000 languages are going to be extinct by the end of this century? Have you ever wondered how this happens, or would you like to know how we can combat this? Then this episode is for you!

Our guest today is Guillem Belmar Viernes. Guillem is a PhD student at the University of California in Santa Barbara, but originally from Girona in Catalonia, Spain.
Guillem did his BA in Translation, has a Master in Language Science and Hispanic Linguistics and a Masters in Multilingualism.

For his PhD, he is working on Minoritized Languages from different perspectives such as varieties of Mixtec Language spoken in California - but his research interests are much broader: He is interested in Language revitalization; endangered languages; language documentation; Native American Languages as well as Romance Languages and Germanic Languages. He is fluent in Catalan, Spanish, English and French, but - hold on to your seats, he also knows Galician, Portuguese, Italian, Occitan, Basque, Mandarin, West Frisian, Dutch and German.

The people and links Guillem mentioned are as follows:
Personal Twitter: @GuillemBelmar
Twitter: Yucunani
Facebook: Yucunani Sà'án Sàvǐ
Instagram: Yucunani_Saansavi
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/saansavi-yucunani
Gofundme: https://sites.google.com/view/saansavi-yucunani/donation-donaciones?authuser=

Experts on Endangered Languages: Haunani-Kay Trask and Wesley Leonard
Mixtec Languages Guest Lecturer: Jeremias Salazar
Study on Catalan: Joan Pujolar and Maite Puigdevall

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 02/12/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Dec 09, 202151:37
S2 E5: Language in Everyday Life - Dr. Isabelle Barth

S2 E5: Language in Everyday Life - Dr. Isabelle Barth

For today's episode, we have invited Dr. Isabelle Barth. Isabelle is originally from France, and works as a consultant in languages, plurilingual education and intercultural communication. Isabelle conducts research on family language policies, in particular how they affect families with mixed cultural backgrounds and migrant families. In addition to her research, she founded the Multilingual Café in 2010, to help families and professionals on their plurilingual and multicultural paths. 

With her research and policy experience, Isabelle is part of the Planting Languages, a European Erasmus + project involving five language policy organisations, Foyer VWZ,  Association for promotion of Polish Language Abroad, Multilingual Café , Stichting Onderwijsadvies (in Dutch), and the University of Central Lancashire Cyprus, which focused on sustaining multilingual families and professionals by developing a Family Language Policy in order to ensure optimal language development and well-being. They have created several tools, available in Dutch, English, French, Greek and Polish, to support and inform parents, primary caregivers, and language professionals to stimulate language development from early childhood, by creating communication opportunities and stimulating the child's appetite for learning languages.

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 17/11/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Nov 25, 202159:30
S2 E4: Child Bilingualism - Dr. Sharon Unsworth

S2 E4: Child Bilingualism - Dr. Sharon Unsworth

For this episode, we invited Dr. Sharon Unsworth, who is a lecturer and researcher on second language acquisition at Radboud University in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on how to best raise children bilingually and which factors play a role in this process and best predict success. She is involved in various projects on early foreign language acquisition and bilingual primary education. More specifically, on the role of age and environmental factors such as the quality of the input, and she is currently leading a project on how the two languages of bilingual children influence each other. While Sharon is based in the Netherlands now, she is originally from England and moved to the Netherlands while completing her PhD. Before starting at Radboud, Sharon held positions at Utrecht University, Leiden University, and the Meertens Institute. Outside of her academic duties, Sharon, as a mother of two bilingual children, regularly gives workshops for parents about raising bilingual children for example.

Sharon has also started a podcast about child bilingualism called Kletsheads - which is in both Dutch and English.  You can find more about it on their website, social media pages (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even LinkedIn!) and on all podcast platforms!

And together with her colleagues at Radboud University and the Max Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics, she founded the first child language festival in the Netherlands, Kletskoppen, which took place for the first time in 2017.

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 29/10/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss


Nov 11, 202101:00:43
S2 E3: Linguistics and Language Learning - Prof. Ludovica Serratrice

S2 E3: Linguistics and Language Learning - Prof. Ludovica Serratrice

Welcome back to another episode! Today we are joined by Professor Ludovica Serratrice.

She is a Professor of bi-multilingualism at the University of Reading and was the Director of the Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism for 3 years. She is also a co-investigator on a project as part of the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) international center for language and communication development - LuCiD. Prof Serratrice did her PhD in the Linguistics department here at the University of Edinburgh, the same department in which many of our volunteers on the podcast currently study. She is also a member of the Reading Branch of Bilingualism Matters.

You can find out more about some of her current projects, and perhaps participate, below:

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 20/9/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Oct 14, 202153:48
S2 E2: Language and Cognition - Prof. Ellen Bialystok

S2 E2: Language and Cognition - Prof. Ellen Bialystok

If you have ever studied bilingualism and/or cognition, you will know today's guest, and are probably as excited as we are.
Professor
Ellen Bialystok is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology and Walter Gordon Research Chair of Lifespan Cognitive Development at York University in Canada, and an Associate Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

Her research uses a range of techniques and methods, to help us understand the effects of bilingualism on cognitive processes across the lifespan. Her research has uncovered ways to identify differences in the development of essential cognitive and language abilities for bilingual children, and the postponement of symptoms of dementia in bilingual older adults. Ellen has received several awards for her groundbreaking research such as the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Research, the Donald T. Stuss Award for Research Excellence, the Canadian Society for Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Science Hebb Award,  the Killam Prize for the Social Sciences, and the York University President’s Research Award of Merit. Additionally, in 2017, she was granted an honorary doctorate from the University of Oslo for her contributions to language research.

Many of us at MLST have been following Ellen’s research for a long time. Among her extensive list of journal publications, books and awards , Ellen has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada for her “contributions to our understanding of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism and for opening up new avenues of research in her field”, and she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

In addition to wanting to talk to Ellen about her amazing career, we also invited her to the podcast in anticipation of her giving a plenary talk at the Bilingualism Matters Research Symposium, which is on the 25th and 26th of October.

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 03/9/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Sep 30, 202147:04
S2 E1: Forensic Linguistics - Dr. Nicci MacLeod

S2 E1: Forensic Linguistics - Dr. Nicci MacLeod

Today, we're joined by Dr. Nicci MacLeod. She is a Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at Northumbria University. She got her PhD from Aston University in Birmingham where she conducted discourse analysis on police interviews with women reporting rape. 

Until 2018 she was employed as a Research Associate at the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, working on various projects focusing on authorship analysis, native language identification, and assuming identities online in the context of undercover investigations against child sex offenders. She is co-author of the book Language and Online Identities: The Undercover Policing of Internet Sexual Crime..

Nicci also works as self-employed forensic linguist. For this, she undertakes casework in the areas of authorship analysis, sociolinguistic profiling and forensic discourse analysis. She is part of the National Crime Agency Expert Advisor Database. On top of that, she has worked with the Serious Organised Crime Squad, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, UK police forces and defence solicitors, and she has appeared as expert witness in the Crown Court of England and Wales, and both the Sherriff Court and the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland.

Her current research interests lie in discursive patterns of representation and negotiation, particularly in legal and investigative contexts, the language of policing, and the language of violence.

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 24/8/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss


Sep 17, 202101:04:11
S1 E17: World Refugee Day - Debora Kayembe

S1 E17: World Refugee Day - Debora Kayembe

Today’s episode is dedicated this episode to World Refugee Day on June 20th, and we have a very special guest for you, Debora Kayembe.

Debora grew up in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
She earned her law degree in Kinshasa and began her career as a human rights activist. After interning at the UN, she was called to the Congolese Bar Association in Matadi and became a lawyer with a specialty in international law in 2000. She arrived in the UK as a refugee in 2005 and lived near Manchester. However, her law degree was only recognized in Scotland, which is why she moved to Edinburgh in 2011 with her two young children, and qualified as a barrister.

In addition to her work as a human rights lawyer, she also has extensive experience in working as a translator for Refugees at the National Health Service in Scotland. She also set up her own language services company in 2009 with an international client base in the US and the UK.

In 2012, she joined the Scottish Refugee Council, where she served as a board member. That same year, she was added to the list of assistants to counsel for the victim support section of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2016, she joined the language service of the office of the Procecutor as well.  Shortly after, she became the first African woman to join the Royal Society of Edinburgh, where she holds a seat on the Working Group for Africa.

In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, Debora created the Freedom Walk Campaign, which aims to lobby, campaign on behalf of citizens by promoting social reforms, racial justice and community harmony.

In February 2021, Debora became the third woman, first black woman, and the first African immigrant to be named rector of the University of Edinburgh. She speaks French, Lingala, Kikongo, Swahili, English, Luba, Portuguese and is learning Turkish at the moment.

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 3/5/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Jun 17, 202155:31
S1 E16: Languages for All – Thomas Chaurin

S1 E16: Languages for All – Thomas Chaurin

Thomas Chaurin holds a Master’s degree in French as a Foreign Language from the University of Rennes 2. He has an extensive experience in language teaching, language teachers’ training, curriculum development, the Common European Framework of Reference for languages and its applications (e.g. European Language Portfolio, Reference Level Descriptors, international language qualifications, European Profiling Grid), quality processes, and management of academic teams and of organisations. He is also involved in the 1+2 Approach in Scotland.

Prior to joining the Centre for Open Learning, Thomas was a Research Associate at Moray House School of Education taking part in a research project analysing the factors of successful language learning in Scottish schools. He was previously the Scotland based Education Attaché of the French Embassy in the UK (2014-2018), the Executive Director of the Alliance Française of Washington DC (2010-2013) and of the Alliance Française of Calgary (2007-2010). Thomas has also held leadership roles in France, Spain, Chile, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Slovakia. He is also Representative for University Language Centres in Scotland on the AULC Executive Commitee, an Erasmus+ Assessor at the British Council, a UNILANG External Examiner, and also a DELF DALF Examiners' Trainer at the Centre International d'Études Pédagogiques.

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 3/5/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Jun 03, 202142:43
S1 E15: Multilingual Families – Dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold & Korina Topalidou

S1 E15: Multilingual Families – Dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold & Korina Topalidou

For the International Day of Families, we have two special guests: Dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold and Korina Topalidou.

Ute is a multilingual Family Language Consultant and Intercultural Communication Trainer at Ute's International Lounge. Ute holds a PhD in Romance Philology and has taught Italian historical  linguistics at the Department of Romance Studies of the University of  Zurich.
As a linguist and life long  international, she offers tailored advice, practical solutions and  support for parents who raise their children with multiple languages and  cultures to bridge between research and practice. She helps multilingual families find the most suitable strategies and practical resources to maintain  their home languages and cultures, whilst learning others. Since 2019  Ute collaborates with Multlingual Parenting at the EU PEaCH project, and organizes the broadcast Raising Multilinguals LIVE! together with Tetsu Yung and Rita Rosenback.
Ute  is fluent in German, Italian, French, English, Dutch and Swiss German, and is improving her fluency in Spanish and Korean. She currently lives  in the Netherlands with her husband and three teenage children who grow  up with multiple languages too.

Korina Topalidou is a Spanish language teacher in a secondary school in  London. Originally from Greece, she holds degrees in International  Relations and Organisations, European Law, and Spanish Language and Culture. With her experiences as a student, translator, teacher, and  expatriate, she has always been interested in languages.
Because of this, she is involved in many activities connected to multilingualism and language learning. Korina is also involved in the EU PEaCH project, where she serves as an Ambassador to promote multilingualism, and to  support families and individuals in their multilingual journey.
She is also a member of language related associations in the UK such as the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum, and the Association for Language Learning. Korina is fluent in Greek, Spanish, French and English, and is mother to two multilingual children.

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 30/4/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

May 20, 202101:06:28
S1 E14: Spanish Language – Dr. Carlos Soler Montes

S1 E14: Spanish Language – Dr. Carlos Soler Montes

Dr. Carlos Soler Montes is a Lecturer at the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh, where he teaches Hispanic Linguistics and advanced Spanish Language courses. He started working at The University of Edinburgh in 2015 as a Teaching Fellow and e-Learning Coordinator and now is the Learning and Teaching Director of the Department of European Languages and Cultures as well as Programme Director for Spanish and Portuguese at Bilingualism Matters.

One of Carlos' passions is studying the Spanish language in Spain and Latin America. He is  interested in language variation from a pan-Hispanic and pluricentric perspective and how this variation is dealt with by native speakers, as well as learners of Spanish. This is reflected in his research of Hispanic Linguistics, where he has examined the ways Spanish grammar varies across different Hispanic regions, its particularities, cultural connections and social contacts with other languages.

Currently, Carlos is co-leading a research project entitled “Linguistic variation in postcolonial contexts: historical, social and contact linguistic perspectives” funded by UNA Europa. The project brings together researchers working on postcolonial language studies and sociolinguistics within their university network, in order to produce new insights into linguistic variation and change in postcolonial contexts, promoting new and long-lasting collaboration initiatives that lead to a better understanding of European languages outside Europe. Additionally, Carlos is part of the “Spanish in Europe: Linguistic Demography of Spanish in Europe” research project, representing Scotland, which aims to better understand how groups of Spanish speakers are shaped by migration and the spread of Spanish as a foreign language, as well as how different social and linguistic environments affect language competency and use.

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 8/4/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss


Apr 23, 202101:03:58
S1 E13: Bilingualism & Autism – Dr. Bérengère Digard & Sonny Hallett

S1 E13: Bilingualism & Autism – Dr. Bérengère Digard & Sonny Hallett

In this episode, in honour of World Autism Awareness month, we are joined by Dr Bérengère Digard and Sonny Hallett to talk about Austin and Bilingualism in research and real life.

Dr Bérengère Digard has just finished her PhD in Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focused on how being bilingualism shapes the way autistic and non-autistic adults understand social information and relate to other people, in terms of lived experiences, mental skills, and brain networks. During her PhD she wrote the PhD blog, ‘PhD & Stuff’. She is currently working as an Engagement Officer at The Patrick Wild Centre.  She is also a Bilingualism Matters volunteer and member of the podcast team. Twitter: @BerengereDigard

Sonny Hallett is the co-founder and mental health advisor of AMASE, Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh. They are also a trainee counsellor and autistic advocate. You can read their medium piece on autistic connection and communication here. Twitter: @scrappapertiger

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 36/3/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Apr 08, 202154:56
S1 E12: Language, Race & Ethnicity – Nandi Sims

S1 E12: Language, Race & Ethnicity – Nandi Sims

Today we are joined by Nandi Sims. Nandi is a PhD Candidate at The Ohio State University in the Department of Linguistics. Her primary interests lie in language variation and change stemming from situations of ethnic contact in the US. To explore the variation related to social identities, institutional ideologies, and the hegemonic structure of race, she has conducted research on a number of topics including historical variation in African American Language morphosyntax, English prosodic rhythm comparisons between South Florida ethnicities, and the relationship between the language, ethnicity, and social identity of pre-teens.

Her dissertation is titled "Race, ethnicity, and social groups: Social and linguistic causes of language variation among 6th-grade students at a primarily Black South Florida middle school".  Join us in this week's episode to learn more about the concepts regarding language, race and ethnicity, about African-American language, and about language variation in different populations in the US.

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 4/3/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Mar 25, 202101:00:09
S1 E11: Scottish Gaelic – Prof. Rob Dunbar

S1 E11: Scottish Gaelic – Prof. Rob Dunbar

Welcome to another episode of Much Language Such Talk. Today, we are joined by Prof. Rob Dunbar of the University of Edinburgh. Prior to assuming the Chair of Celtic at Edinburgh in June 2013, he was Senior Research Professor at the University of the Highlands and Islands, and Research Director of the inter-university Soillse Research Project. Previously, he was a lecturer then senior lecturer in Law at the University of Glasgow (1995-2004) and reader in Celtic and Law at the University of Aberdeen (2004-2010). As a native of Canada, he has been involved in Gaelic language development for almost twenty years, and has worked with international organisations such as the Council of Europe, of which he is an expert, and the OSCE, national and sub-national governments, including the National Assembly for Wales, and governmental and non-governmental organisations, on issues broadly relating to the maintenance and revitalisation of minority languages and the protection of their speakers.  He was a member of Bòrd na Gàidhlig from 2006 to 2012 and MG Alba from 2004 to 2012, and was involved in the development of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 and the creation of BBC Alba, Scotland's Gaelic digital television service.

Much of his research focuses on language policy and planning for Scottish Gaelic, and for minoritised languages more generally, and on legal instruments (international, national and sub-national) in support of such policy and planning initiatives. Gaelic broadcasting, and provision for broadcasting in other minoritised languages, also forms part of his research strand. His work also focuses on Gaelic literature, culture and society from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century, and on Gaelic in Canada.

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 27/1/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Mar 11, 202158:03
S1 E10: Language and Identity – Dr. Katerina Strani

S1 E10: Language and Identity – Dr. Katerina Strani

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Katerina Strani who is an Associate Professor and Head of Cultural Studies at the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot-Watt University. Katerina has a background in Languages and Politics, having taught translation and interpreting for 10 years, and worked as a freelance translator, interpreter and later as a researcher for the shadow interior minister in Greece. She has published papers on intercultural dialogue, racist discourse, hate speech, language and heritage, as well as an edited volume on Multilingualism and Politics (Palgrave, 2020). Katerina has led EU-funded projects on racism and discrimination, intercultural training for educators, language and culture apps for newly arrived migrants and refugees, and a language and culture app for indigenous languages (IndyLan). She was also a Co-Investigator on a Global Challenge Research Fund project on digital inclusion of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. More information and a list of publications are available here.

Katerina is a Chartered Linguist and speaks French, English, Russian and Greek (native). She has also learned German, but claims to speak it very badly. She plays the piano and sings at any given opportunity, but according to her, much to the dismay of anyone listening.

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 27/1/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Feb 25, 202150:39
S1 E9: Byelingual: Attrition – Prof. Monika Schmid

S1 E9: Byelingual: Attrition – Prof. Monika Schmid

In this episode, we are joined by Prof. Monika S. Schmid from the University of Essex. Monika obtained her PhD in English Linguistics in 2000 from the Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf. The topic of her thesis was First Language Attrition, Use and Maintenance: the case of German Jews in Anglophone Countries -  and currently Monika's work focuses on various aspects of first language attrition, language change from learning new languages. Previously, she has held positions at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. In September 2013, she became a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Essex, where in 2018 she became the Head of Department of Language and Linguistics. At Essex, Monika is a member of the Centre for Research in Language Development throughout the Lifespan (LaDeLi) and the Bilingualism Matters branch @EastofEngland.

Monika has published two monographs and edited several collected volumes and special issues of journals on attrition, most recently the Oxford Handbook of Language Attrition (2019).  Her website, Language Attrition, collects information on language attrition and provides tips on how to study it for non-specialists and researchers alike. She regularly also writes for The Conversation about related topics and, to date, has had over half a million reads!

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 18/1/2021

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Feb 11, 202156:29
S1 E8: Basque – Prof. Itziar Laka

S1 E8: Basque – Prof. Itziar Laka

In this episode, we talk with Professor Itziar Laka,  a researcher at the Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, and the director of The Bilingual Mind research group at the University of the Basque Country. Itziar completed her PhD at MIT and was an Assistant Professor in Linguistics at the University of Rochester in New York before returning to Europe where she has been an invited professor at the Universities of Vienna, Utrecht, Naples and Río de Janeiro, and an invited research fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities, and the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset, among others. She is Member of Jakiunde, the Basque Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, and corresponding member of Euskaltzaindia, the Academy for the Basque Language. Itziar has also written a book on Basque, A Brief Grammar of Euskara, the Basque Language, which was published in 1996 and is freely available on the internet. Her current research combines theoretical linguistics and experimental methods from psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics to inquire into the neural representation and processing of language, with a strong focus on syntax and bilingualism.

At the Bilingual Mind research group, they conduct research on the effects of bilingualism and plan to complete research on healthy older adults in the future. In the past, many of their studies looked at the effects on young adults and older adults who have cognitive impairments. So The Bilingual Mind will soon venture into new, exciting territory.

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 16/12/2020 

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Jan 28, 202156:52
S1 E7: Language Education and Discrimination – Dr. Ania Byerly

S1 E7: Language Education and Discrimination – Dr. Ania Byerly

Dr. Ania Byerly is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Language Education at the Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh. She has worked with a variety of the university’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, such as MSc TESOL and MSc Language Education, Initial Teacher Education, BA Childhood Practice. Ania is a qualified Early Years and Primary School teacher, specialising in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to young children.

She has also worked with Edinburgh’s English as an Additional Language Service supporting bilingual Polish English Speakers in Edinburgh schools and nurseries. Ania focuses on student teachers and school teachers developing an understanding of various social justice issues: from social class, ethnicity and 'race' through to linguistic and religious diversity.

She is also going to be a part of the ‘Teaching that Matters for Migrant Students: Understanding Levers of Integration in Scotland, Finland, and Sweden’ (TEAMS) project in collaboration with  ten researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Stockholm, Jyvaskyla and Turku, who will study how teachers, schools and education systems facilitate migrant integration in schools. In particular, the project aims to identify educational practices and structural conditions that facilitate opportunities for migrants’ academic success, cross-cultural socialization, and developing a sense of belonging in their school communities.

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 09/12/2020 

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss 

Sound effects: Record scratches by filmsndfx

Jan 14, 202157:00
MLST 2020 outtakes
Dec 23, 202012:47
S1 E6: Language Disorders – Dr. Vicky Chondrogianni

S1 E6: Language Disorders – Dr. Vicky Chondrogianni

Dr Vicky Chondrogianni is a Senior Lecturer in Bilingualism at the University of Edinburgh and the Programme Director in Bilingual Development and Developmental language disorders at Bilingualism Matters.

Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, she held research and teaching positions at various universities in the UK and overseas. Her research and teaching focuses on the language and cognitive development of bilingual children with and without Developmental Language Disorders. She investigates these issues from a crosslinguistic perspective. To date, she has conducted research on Greek, Dutch, Welsh, German, Scottish Gaelic, Mandarin Chinese, and English. She is also affiliated with the faculty of the Graduate Programme in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the Graduate Centre of City University New York.

Go to our website for 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 7/12/2020

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Dec 09, 202045:34
S1 E5: Accent Positivity – Dr. Ella Jeffries

S1 E5: Accent Positivity – Dr. Ella Jeffries

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Ella Jeffries, a lecturer in linguistics at the University of Essex, and her research interests lie in the field of sociolinguistics, with a particular focus on regional accent variation.  Her PhD research looked into children's developing perceptual awareness of phonological regional accent differences. She is currently Principle Investigator on the BA/Leverhulme Small Grant funded project 'Accent the positive' which investigates the development of implicit attitudes towards regional accents among primary school-age children.

Ella is also collaborating on a project which investigates language variation in change in Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Her work incorporates approaches from different fields of linguistic research including language variation and change, sociophonetics, language acquisition and psycholinguistics. She is part of a team of researchers working on collaborative projects within the Centre for Research in Language Development throughout the Lifespan (LaDeLi) at the University Of Essex, which also hosts the Bilingualism Matters East of England branch.

Go to our website for 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 17/11/2020 

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Nov 26, 202055:04
S1 E4: Lingo Flamingo – Robbie Norval

S1 E4: Lingo Flamingo – Robbie Norval

In this episode, we talk with Robbie Norval, a social entrepreneur who founded the organisation Lingo Flamingo in 2015. He is passionate about empowering individuals, especially those with cognitive impairments, and wanted to create an organisation which provides both stimulating and interactive activities. His goal is to show that it is never too late to learn and to highlight the amazing cognitive benefits of learning a second language. Lingo Flamingo is a social enterprise which focuses on providing language lessons to older adults in care homes and day centres across Scotland. Since 2015, they have provided hundreds of classes and opened a brick and mortar locations in Glasgow. Outside of care homes, the Lingo Flamingo "Hub" is open to anyone interested in language learning, where they offer classes in Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Japanese, to name a few.

In addition to his work with Lingo, Robbie is a PhD student at Glasgow Caledonian University focusing on the role that social enterprises play in delivering non-pharmaceutical interventions for older adults and people living with dementia.

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: 10/07/2020

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Nov 11, 202037:54
S1 E3: The women who keep Bilingualism Matters rolling – Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien & Christy Brewster

S1 E3: The women who keep Bilingualism Matters rolling – Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien & Christy Brewster

In this episode, we talk with the two members of staff at the Edinburgh Bilingualism Matters (BM) office, Dr. Katarzyna (Kat) Przybycien and Christy Brewster. Before joining BM, both Kat and Christy were navigating life, family, and work has bilinguals across many countries and continents! Christy Brewster is the Bilingualism Matters Centre's Administrator, based at the University of Edinburgh. She is responsible for event organisation, communications and general administration. She has an MA (Hons) in History from the University of Glasgow, and a CELTA Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification. She taught English in Argentina for three years and is part of an English and Spanish speaking bilingual family. Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien is the Bilingualism Matters Centre's Research and Outreach Coordinator, based at the University of Edinburgh. With experience in science communication, community work and a PhD on best practices in knowledge exchange, she is responsible for liaisons and finding links and opportunities between disciplines and people. Kat is raising a multilingual family including Polish, Spanish, German, English and Gaelic. 

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: 10/07/2020 

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Oct 29, 202044:12
S1 E2: Sign Languages – Dr. Helen Koulidobrova

S1 E2: Sign Languages – Dr. Helen Koulidobrova

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Helen Koulidobrova who is an Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics in the Department of English and Director of the Bilingualism and English Language Learning Research Lab at Central Connecticut State University. Helen's research focuses on sign languages and how people acquire them, more specifically how those who already know a sign language learn a second one (and maybe they speak a language too!) and why some sign languages let you drop subjects and objects when signing.

We talk about learning sign languages, the differences between sign languages from country to country (even region to region!), and the importance of sign languages. We also discuss how Helen uses her research to directly address issues in current policy such as helping make knowledge about sign language easier to access, ensuring hearing parents of deaf children can learn the local sign language to communicate with their children, the need to include those who sign in the conversations about new policy, among many others.

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: 2/25/2020

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ersssssss

Oct 14, 202054:59
S1 E1: Bilingualism Matters – Prof. Antonella Sorace

S1 E1: Bilingualism Matters – Prof. Antonella Sorace

In our first-ever episode, we interview Prof. Antonella Sorace. Antonella Sorace is Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. She is a world-leading authority and has published widely in the field of bilingualism across the lifespan, where she brings together methods from linguistics, experimental psychology, and cognitive science. She is also committed to bringing research to people in different sectors of society. She is the founding director of the research and information centre Bilingualism Matters, which currently has 27 branches in three different continents.

We discuss the idea behind Bilingualism Matters, the necessity for research and science communication, her own experiences and questions about bilingualism in general.

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: 3/3/2020.

Music: Arc of the Sun by The 126ers

Sep 30, 202044:11
Introducing... Much Language Such Talk!
Sep 25, 202005:40