BBC World Service Online

Migrated podcast image for: Boston Calling

Boston Calling

Discussion & Talk

Factual

How the world looks through American eyes, and the myriad and unexpected ways that the world influences the United States.

Boston Calling: The World in Words

The World in Words

26/12/2015 GMT

BBC World Service - Boston Calling, The World in Words

The language barrier that separates elderly immigrants in the US from their grandchildren.

A language special for you this week: Yowei Shaw gives herself a radio reporting assignment to try to have a meaningful conversation with her Mandarin-speaking grandparents. Let’s just say, it did not go as planned. Then, we’ll hear what a nineteenth century Scottish adventurer had to do with the birth of Spanglish, the English-Spanish hybrid language now common in parts of Southern California. 

And, Alina Simone tells us the strange history of Siberians in Hawaii. Plus: Patrick Cox and Nina Porzucki highlight some of their favourite language stories of the year.

Image:  Yowei Shaw and her grandfather. (Credit: Chris Shaw)

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Boston Calling

The World in Words

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service