Canguro English

Today's daily digest explains why you are afraid of speaking English, and having conversations, and how you can overcome your fear and use your English in public confidently. I use evidence from clinical psychology and computer science to show you what really works, and why clowns are great role models.

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to cognitive neuroscientist Ev Fedorenko. She is head of EvLab, her own language lab at MIT, and their mission is to discover how minds and brains create language. In this interview we speak about the language architecture of the brain, adult language learning, and the difference between thought and language. I hope you enjoy it!

Today's daily digest shows why having a low level of English, and a foreign accent, and only knowing a few key concepts, are all advantages when you first start learning a language. I hope you feel super motivated to get out there are USE your English after this!

Today's daily digest shows what Hindustani music, cave drawings, and Japanese psychology can teach us about linguistic universals, learning a language from zero, and what it means to be human.

Today's daily digest talks about gendered languages, sexism, culture, and some common myths and misconceptions about the effect that language has on the way we think.

In the world of linguistics, there are very few people with a resume as impressive as Adele Goldberg. She has had a major influence on the way we understand and study language. In this very special interview we talk about vocabulary learning, input vs output, and her language acquisition research.

Today's daily digest shows how your brain is only interested in content, not language, and why it's so important to have something to say. It also shows how your culture can affect the way you think, and why you need to learn culture to get fluent in English.

Today's daily digest is a philosophical journey into the meaning of language, what it means to be human, how we could understand and speak alien languages, how we can talk to animals, and what all of that tells us about how to get fluent in English.

I always talk about how important patience is when you’re learning a language, because it’s really hard, and it takes a really long time, and recently I spoke to someone who knows that better than anyone: cognitive scientist Josh Hartshorne. In this interview we talk about the critical period, language acquisition, and the importance of immersion

In the world of English language learning and teaching there is an obsession with the native speaker. Recently I spoke to someone who explains exactly why that has to end: Marek Kiczkowiak from TEFL Equity Advocates. This class is essential viewing for anyone learning English, but especially non-native English teachers.

Today's daily digest shows how you can learn and especially teach language not with grammar and textbooks, but with ideas, concepts, discussion, and deep knowledge. And flying penises.

Today's daily digest is all about fluency. What is fluency? How can you test your fluency? How can you get fluency? You might be surprised at the answers to some of these questions.

Unfortunately, most people view language as grammar, and rules, and concrete concepts. But we need to think about language differently. In this interview I speak to Peter Gärdenfors, professor of cognitive science at Lund University in Sweden. His interest in language spans human cognition, philosophy, evolution, and conceptual spaces. We talk about some of the more abstract elements of language and language learning and I hope it changes the way you see language.

Today's daily digest shows how things are hidden in language, and how your hidden native language structures interfere with your ability to be like a native speaker in English.

Today's daily digest starts with a joke about politicians and then explains how they make us believe lies, what it tells us about the way our brains work, and the truth about language learning.

In this interview I talk to David Crystal: a legend in the world of the English language. He is a linguist, lecturer, and broadcaster, and he has written or edited over 100 books about language including the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English language. We talk about language change, the myth of the native speaker, and why learning languages is part of being human. I hope you enjoy it!

Today's daily digest shows the magic of eye contact and how a trick from the internet might help you to understand native speakers quickly and easily.

Today's daily digest explains why people from some languages appear to speak faster than others, and why syllables are not the same as information.

Today's daily digest talks about the science of vocabulary learning and why you are more likely to remember magicians and dogs, than newspapers and belts.

Recently I had the pleasure of talking to Scott Thornbury, a giant in the world of English language teaching. He is a teacher, teacher trainer, award-winning author, and speaker, and he has been pushing for change in the way we teach languages for more than 20 years. We spoke about many different aspects of language teaching and learning, especially what teachers can do differently in the classroom and the importance of social learning. I hope you enjoy it.