Talk the Talk

Do you use question intonation, even when you're not asking a question? You may be an uptalker. Are you communicating something when you use it, or are you just driving people crazy? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley takes it up a notch on this episode of Talk the Talk.

There are some words we've been hearing around the place. What exactly is a 'shemozzle', and why is Peter Costello talking about it? How do you pronounce 'carillion', and why is Perth's "Carillon City" spelt with only one 'i'? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley tries to resolve these and other matters of import on this episode of Talk the Talk.

Language technology tends to focus on people who speak. But what about for people who sign? A Scottish team has announced a new app to convert signs into text, but that's just one part of the picture. UWA linguist Daniel Midgley finds what's out there on this episode of Talk the Talk.

Japanese researchers have developed a "speech-jamming gun". It works without maiming or killing you, but it does mess with your mind. Will it be a boon to movie-goers, or a free-speech killer? And how does it work? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley will explain as fluently as possible on this episode of Talk the Talk.

France, never shy about controversy, has dropped the use of 'Miss', or 'Mademoiselle', on government forms. But why? And while we're at it, what's the deal with Ms? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley discusses terms of address on this episide of Talk the Talk.

We've heard all kinds of wild claims about animals and language. So what are we to make of a new finding that young goats start to bleat like their peers? Is it crazy? Or could it reveal something about human language? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley does it for the kids on this episode of Talk the Talk.

The middle finger was in the news this week as M.I.A. flipped the bird during a US Super Bowl halftime performance. What is it about this gesture that makes it obscene? How long has it been around? And what else does it mean? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley goes digital on this episode of Talk the Talk.

A team of scientists has developed a technique for turning brain activity into words. Soon, it may be possible to reconstruct conversations -- in effect, to read minds. How does it work? Do we even think in words? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley tells it the old-fashioned way on this episode of Talk the Talk.

Apple's Siri software has put automatic speech recognition back in the news. We finish our two-part discussion with stupid Siri tricks, and some ways that Siri has become embroiled in controversy. And why is Siri female? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley will try to assist on this episode of Talk the Talk.

Speech recognition has come a long way. With the emergence of Siri on the iPhone, good speech recognition is within the reach of many of us. How does it work? Why is automatic speech recognition so difficult? And what tricks does Siri have up her sleeve? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley has the answers on this episode of Talk the Talk.

The year 2011 brought many words and phrases to prominence. 'Occupy' captured a lot of attention, but there are so many more. UWA linguist Daniel Midgley brings the words that captured the essence of our year on this episode of Talk the Talk.

So you know the lyrics to Christmas carols? They may not be what you think. Some of them have evolved over time, and how they've changed can tell us about language long ago. UWA linguist Daniel Midgley gets festive on this episode of Talk the Talk.

Do you ever have a hard time understanding lyrics? For some songs, it could be because the language is imaginary. Inspired by the release of what could be the final Sigur Ros album, UWA linguist Daniel Midgley looks at music in invented tongues on this episode of Talk the Talk.

SlutWalk is hitting Perth this week to raise awareness of the tendency to blame the victims of sexual assault. And the word 'slut' is making even some participants uncomfortable. What's behind the term? Where does it come from, and can it be reclaimed? We're joined by SlutWalk organiser Beth Castieau on this episode of Talk the Talk.

An economist has determined that the difference in rates of savings between countries can be put down to language. Does having a future tense make you see the future differently? Just how important is language to perception? UWA linguist Daniel Midgley investigates the claims on this episode of Talk the Talk.