On October 13th, 1881, the linguist and grammarian Eliezer Ben-Yehuda held what is thought to have been the first modern conversation in Hebrew with two friends at a Paris café.
The conversation would have had some serious stumbling blocks, given that the language was still missing numerous modern words including bicycle, towel, and – crucially for being in ... Show More
Jul 15
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!
The inventor of margarine, French chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès, patented his butter substitute on 15th July, 1869. Inspired by a competition launched by Emperor Napoleon III to find a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative to butter for the French Navy, Mège-Mouriès called his cre ... Show More
12m 6s
Jun 2023
Learn Hebrew: Just Beyond the Basics
Some phrases for the early Hebrew language learner, such as asking for language help and ending interactions gracefully.
This episode exposes you to phrases, repeated in English and Hebrew, to improve your Hebrew vocabulary and help you to express yourself in Hebrew.
These episod ... Show More
2m 14s
Jan 2020
Yiddish: A story of survival
At its height, Yiddish, the language of the European Jews, was spoken by more than ten million people, from Russia in the east to the Netherlands in the West. But by the mid -20th century, these numbers were severely depleted following the Holocaust, and then the creation of the ... Show More
40m 12s
Jan 2023
Bringing dead languages back to life
Australia used to be one of the most linguistically diverse places, with over 200 languages. Today, many of Australia’s indigenous languages are considered “highly endangered”. Inspired by his native language, Hebrew, Ghil’ad Zuckermann is a linguistics professor who is on a miss ... Show More
26m 13s
Mar 2024
Learn Hebrew: Museum Visit
This episode exposes you to phrases, repeated in English and Hebrew, to improve your Hebrew vocabulary and help you to express yourself in Hebrew.
These episodes are meant to accompany and accelerate your existing Hebrew language studies, whether you're using an app like DuoLingo ... Show More
3m 53s
Apr 2024
Learn Hebrew: Meeting People 3
This episode exposes you to phrases, repeated in English and Hebrew, to improve your Hebrew vocabulary and help you to express yourself in Hebrew.
These episodes are meant to accompany and accelerate your existing Hebrew language studies, whether you're using an app like DuoLingo ... Show More
3m 18s