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CrowdScience: Which Language is Most Efficient?

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CS_Language-Efficiency

Which Language is Most Efficient?

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Which Language is Most Efficient?

Marnie Chesterton attempts to apply science and evidence to the art of speech

Marnie Chesterton attempts to apply science and evidence to the art of speech, in a quest to discover what language is the most efficient on Earth.

Communicating quickly, accurately and, ideally, in a way that's well-received is no easy feat, wherever you live in the world. For this week's listener, who lives and works in several different countries as a member of the armed forces, good communication can be a matter of life or death. And this doesn’t just affect military life – anyone who flies on aeroplanes may be interested to hear how clear use of language is crucial for airline safety.

But what do we mean by an efficient language – it is the fastest and most accurate speech, or most widely understood in multiple countries? Maybe there’s even some technology – a machine out there that can do the communicating more efficiently than we can? Presenter Marnie Chesterton attempts to apply science and evidence to the art of speech, in a quest to discover what language is the most efficient on Earth.

Produced by Jen Whyntie

(Image: A group of people holding up speech bubbles sitting on a bench. Credit: Getty Images)

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