I think of myself as a language and linguistics writer, not a polyglot. But nor am I ashamed of speaking a few languages – imperfectly, but serviceably. So when the people of the Butter No Parsnips podcast invited me for an interview, I agreed. The result’s just come out. You can hear it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or Player FM and Web knows where else. The thing here below is just the trailer.
During the interview
Why is it important for a linguist to engage with a general audience? If languages go extinct, why is that a loss people should care about?
These are two of the questions that I asked Professor John McWhorter on Skype. We had this conversation right after John interviewed me for his Lexicon Valley podcast, which you can find here.
Earlier this year, I was interviewed in the comfort of my home by Patrick Cox (see photo), a British-American radio journalist who specialises in language. I’d enjoyed dozens of his World in Words shows as podcasts, partly because they are so interesting, partly because I like Patrick’s friendly and intelligent style and his pleasant voice (and trust me, I’m not saying this about all interviewers). World in Words is probably the language podcast that I like best, with Lexicon Valley an excellent second.
Yesterday, he sent me a note saying that the episode featuring me has been put online. Listening to myself talk is among my least favourite things (here’s why), but I think Patrick has managed to make me sound fairly coherent – there’s skill for you. Here‘s the link, and if you scroll down a bit, you’ll see the contents of the podcast listed: nearly 15 minutes of Dorren talking about multilingualism and me (well, he asked) and even singing a song. The other 15 minutes are about Klingon.
Enjoy, and do let me know what you think (but please, break it gently).
Gaston Dorren, language writer 