The Weekend Listener is an eclectic weekly list of noteworthy podcasts and radio recordings, old and new, curated for your listening pleasure. Posts in this series are published on Fridays – please search the website for the previous instalments.
LANGUAGE
The World in Words | If you could talk to the animals
Many animals produce sounds to send different kinds of messages, such as to alert others to danger or point to a source of food. We talk to our pets, and they ‘talk’ back to us – but do those animal utterance constitute language? Three biologists explain the current understanding of animal communication. [Duration: 28’51]
LITERATURE
The History Chicks | Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery is one of the best-known Canadian authors. Born on 30 November 1874, she published numerous poems, short stories and a total of twenty novels, among them the globally popular Anne of Green Gables, set in Prince Edward Island. Find out about Montgomery’s life in this episode of The History Chicks podcast. [Duration: 60’54’’]
LEARNING ENGLISH
Learn English Vocabulary | Describing people – personality
Designed for pre-intermediate (A2) learners, this podcast episode will teach you a range of vocabulary that you can use to describe someone’s personality, from nice to unpleasant and everything in between. Full transcript available on the webpage. [Duration: 7’]
HISTORY
The History of English Podcast | The First English Bible
Before there was the ground-breaking Authorised Version translation of the Bible, better known as the King James Version (KJV) of 1611, there had already been several other partial translations in circulation. Two centuries prior to KJV, an Oxford theologian by the name of John Wycliffe, together with several of his disciples, produced the first popular vernacular translation into Middle English. Learn about the historical background of the Wycliffe Bible, and the lasting influence it had on the English language and literature. Full transcript available on the webpage. [Duration: 60’09’’]
CULTURE & SOCIETY
The Art of Manliness | The Future is Analog
We may live in the digital age and enjoy many of its conveniences, but at the same time, many of us feel fed up with it. People buy vinyl records again, sales of e-books are down… Are we slowly reverting to the analog? David Sax, the author of The Future is Analog certainly seems to think so. Hear his arguments in favour of ditching the digital. [Duration: 53’47’’]
RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
Nomad Podcast | Philip Carr-Gomm – The Druid Way
Philip Carr-Gomm is a practising Druid and the former Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, one of the leading organisations of contemporary, neo-pagan Celtic religion. In this interview for the Nomad Podcast he talks about a living, nature-based spirituality that transcends labels and conventional denominational and confessional differences. [Duration: 60’40’’]
Is there a podcast episode you’d like to recommend on these or related topics? You’re very welcome to share it in the comments section below.
grammaticus 