Where did language come from?

This week Brains On is giving you an extra helping of Mystery Sounds… with a twist! Listen as our pals at Forever Ago try to stump you with history Mystery Sounds! Joy Dolo and co-host Gabi are having a history sound extravaganza! Join them as they listen to mystery sounds from t ... Show More

Molly Bloom as a debater? It’s true! This is a sneak peek at a bonus episode we just shared in our Smarty Pass feed. Molly debates Sanden in a Smash Boom Best showdown between Cheetahs and Sloths. To hear the full, ad-free episode, join Smarty Pass. You also get access to all the ... Show More

Spooky stuff may make you cover your eyes in fright, but many of us find ourselves peeking through our fingers to get another glimpse. Why are we drawn to things that make us jump? In this episode, we'll find out how fear can actually be fun. We visit a scientist who helps design ... Show More

Learn about how languages get invented 

What shape do you see when you hear “bouba”? What about “kiki”? It turns out that nonsense words that evoke certain shapes have something to say about the origins of language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Where in in the world did we come from? How in the world did we get here? Who in the world were our ancient ancestors? Join Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas as they travel back in time to discover the history of our big Homo sapien family! Also, how in the world can we help our human fam ... Show More

Recently a video went viral of a baby talking - or babbling - with a Liverpool accent. Professor Julian Pine from Liverpool University explains how babies and young children learn language, including the rules we take for granted. Including the surprising reasons who children mak ... Show More

<p>" Sure animals talk in their own way, with chirps and grunts and the like, but only humans can form words. It is this, some evolutionary psychologists contend, that is what truly separates us from the rest of the species on the planet. But why us?"</p><p> </p> Learn more about ... Show More

How did we get the set of Chinese words we have today? John and Jared talk about how the Chinese language has evolved, adapted, innovated, and borrowed to create the language it is today. 

<p>Young people have always used language in new and different ways, and it has pretty much always driven older people crazy. But the linguist John McWhorter says all the &quot;likes&quot; and LOLs are part of a natural – and inevitable –evolution of language. This week on Hidden ... Show More

Prof. Simon Horobin examines how the English language has changed over time, addressing such vexed questions as whether Jane Austen could spell, the fate of the apostrophe and whether people who 'literally' explode with anger are corrupting the language. 

How do we learn to talk? When do babies first understand language? And how do scientists study language learning in the lab? In this Focus episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva Higginbotham as she visits the Oxford Brookes Babylab to understand how babies make sense of ... Show More