World in Words podcasts

I’ve just discovered these podcasts called The World in Words from PRI (Public Radio International) and I can’t believe I haven’t heard of them before!

The description of the series is:

The World in Words focuses on language. We cover everything from bilingual education to the globalization of English to untranslatable foreign phrases. You’ll learn how to insult someone in Icelandic, among other things.

If that doesn’t hook you in, I’m not sure what will.

In the most recent podcast the host Patrick Cox explores what happens to a ‘heritage’ language like Italian when languages like Chinese and Spanish dominate the curriculum and why Latin America is mad at the Royal Spanish Academy. Definitely worth a listen.