The Weekend Listener is a monthly list of noteworthy podcasts and radio recordings, old and new, curated for your listening pleasure. For more listening tips please search the website for previous instalments.
LANGUAGE
Do people who speak different languages think differently? Is there evidence for the hypothesis that language dictates one’s world view? In this episode of the Smart Drug Smarts podcast, a psycholinguist explains the current understanding of how language influences cognitive processes in the brain. Note that the podcast episode started with some news from the world of neuroscience; if you’re not interested in that, fast forward to 5’30’’. [Duration: 45’43’’]
LEARNING ENGLISH
Learn about the origins of Easter customs and how Easter is typically celebrated in Britain. This episode of Luke’s English Podcast also has a grammar objective: teaching adverbials. Suitable for English learners at the intermediate level. Full transcript is available on the web page. [Duration: 17’35’’]
LITERATURE
The celebrated English writer Charlotte Brontë died on 31 March 1855. Her most famous work is the novel Jane Eyre, which you can enjoy in this audio version produced by the BBC. Each podcast episode is a chapter from the novel, read by Katherine Press.
HISTORY
How food shapes our Easter celebrations
As Easter approaches, explore the rich food traditions connected with this important Christian holiday: from pancakes and chocolate bunnies to hot cross buns. Why do people prepare these and other traditional Easter dishes, and since when? Dr Emma J Wells, a historian of the medieval Church, explains. [Duration: 31’46’’]
SOCIETY & CULTURE
When you come to think of it, the concept of money is really quite bizarre. Without any intrinsic value of its own, its worth is based on convention and social agreement. How did the monetary system come into being, and why has it proven to be so successful? [Duration: 53’59’’]
RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
The foundational story of Christianity is that of Jesus’ victory over death, and the promise of resurrection and life eternal. Is the story of Jesus’ rising from the grave a metaphor or an account of an actual historical event? How to interpret that singular moment in the history of Christianity and make sense of it in the 21st century? Bernie Rea and a panel of scholars discuss. [Duration: 27’40’’]
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!
Cover image by ANDY ZHANG on Unsplash.
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