Word of Mouth

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BBC Radio 4 LW

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Series exploring the world of words and the ways in which we use them

BBC Radio 4 FM

Word of Mouth: It's language, Jim, but not as we know it

It's language, Jim, but not as we know it

BBC Radio 4 - Word of Mouth, It's language, Jim, but not as we know it

Michael Rosen talks to science communicator Dr Hannah Little.

Michael Rosen talks to science communicator Dr Hannah Little about aliens, ants and ancestors.

Could aliens 'speak' in chemicals? Could they converse in electricity? Would they be able to hear us? In the absence of a Star Trek-style universal translator, how would you talk to an alien newly arrived on Planet Earth?

Dr Hannah Little is a science communicator, linguist and comedian. She joins Michael Rosen for some fascinating thought experiments on extraterrestrial communication and animal interactions closer to home. What might all this tell us about how human language first appeared, and why does it matter?  

Produced by Sarah Goodman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

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Word of Mouth

It's language, Jim, but not as we know it

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