Main content

The University of Babel

Michael Rosen investigates how the English spoken by foreign students equips them for British university life: Stories, analysis and a day in the life of Birmingham University.

Generations of students have left lecture halls wondering whether they understood what they just heard. Now, a growing proportion of these learners don't consider English their first language. In the first episode in a new series, Michael Rosen visits Birmingham University to investigate how well the English spoken by foreign students equips them for British university life. And to see how lecturers are adapting to their multilingual audience. And there's feature on Special English, the slowed down, limited vocabulary version of the language developed more than half a century ago as a radio experiment, and which the Voice of America network still uses in its programmes.

Producer: Chris Ledgard.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Mon 25 Mar 2013 23:00

Broadcasts

  • Tue 19 Mar 2013 16:00
  • Mon 25 Mar 2013 23:00

From blunk to brickfielder: our wonderful words for weather

From blunk to brickfielder: our wonderful words for weather

Exploring creative descriptions for wind, rainfall and sunny spells from around the world

Digital body language – how to communicate better online

Digital body language – how to communicate better online

We need to find new ways of talking to each other β€œvirtually”.

Coinages that changed the world – and some that tried to...

Coinages that changed the world – and some that tried to...

Exploring the hidden histories of obscure words, and common buzz phrases.

Ittibitium, borborygmus, and Ba humbugi – 14 wonderful science words you’ve never heard of

Ittibitium, borborygmus, and Ba humbugi – 14 wonderful science words you’ve never heard of

Michael Rosen puts the language of science under the microscope.

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Keywords for Our Time

Series of programmes examining key phrases in public debate.

Smiley face: Seven things you didn't know about emoji

Some facts about emoji - possibly the world's first truly global form of communication.

The funny words that kids invent

Have a look at some of the fantastic words that children invent and reimagine.

Podcast