Linguistics Behind the Scenes
Episodes
What can laughter teach us about language? | Cartoons and fun stories in linguistics
08 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this animated episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes, Christina and Dominic explore how creative cartoons, comic strips and children’s shows ca...
What is a "salad salad"? | Copies, quotes, and plagiarism
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this duplicative (but never dull) episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes, Christinaand Dominic explore the fascinating world of copying – from ...
Can a robotic arm lose face? | The linguistics of politeness
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this futuristic episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes, Christina and Dominic investigate how we talk to machines – and what our language revea...
Does punctuation matter? | To hyphenate or not to hyphenate
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Christina and Dominic make a point of exploring the tiny dots and lines that we find in writing. They uncover the history, humor, and...
Are you working hard or hardly working? | Adverbs and data visualization
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this adverbially adventurous episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes, Christina and Dominic dig deep into one of grammar’s dustiest drawers: the...
What’s in a name? | How naming customs differ around the world
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Christina and Dominic tackle the fascinating – and sometimes funny – ways names reflect identity, culture, and even fashion trend...
Are cooking recipes about YOU and ME? | Cookbook linguistics
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this deliciously geeky episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes, Christina and Dominic trace the evolution of recipes as both instructions and stor...
Do you say thank you to a robot? | When humans talk to AI
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this human-meets-machine episode, Christina and Dominic explore the curious intersection of linguistics and AI—with special focus on how people t...
Is English full of lonely words? | Linguistic tricks for learning words
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this brilliantly nerdy episode, Christina and Dominic explore those English words that seem to stand all on their own, with no linguistic parents o...
Can we predict the future of English? | Current trends and language change
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome, time travelers, to a tour through the evolution of the English language! Christina and Dominic chat about the quirks of linguistic prediction...
What do mocktails, mules, and grammar have in common? | Linguistic purism and hybridization
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grab a cocktail (or mocktail) and join Christina and Dominic for a spirited discussion on hybridity – in language, biology, culture, and beyond. Fro...
How can you translate the magic of fairy tales? | Grimm linguistics
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time, Christina and Dominic embarked on a linguistic adventure through the enchanted world of fairy tales to explore the rich history, dar...
Why do we check in at the check-in but check out at the checkout? | English compounds and their spelling
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christina and Dominic tackle the tangled world of compound words – from the monster nouns of German to the cake-based contradictions of English (lis...
How do comics come to life on the big screen? | Language use in comic book adaptations
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christina and Dominic explore the animated (and linguistic!) world of comics on screen. From Tintin to Spider-Man, they discuss how speech bubbles, on...
What does your accent say about you? | The role of pronunciation in language learning
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lost in pronunciation? Christina and Dominic explore the quirks of accents, fluency, and identity in language learning.- What does your accent say abo...
Can we learn through video games? | Bridging knowledge and adventure
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Level up your linguistics! Dominic and Christina explore the intersection of video games and language.- What’s the meaning behind Pikachu’s name?...
When does the day end and the night begin? | Talking about time in different languages
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Time flies… but how do we talk about it? Dominic and Christina work around the clock in this timely episode to explore temporal terms in different l...
Should we name prehistoric skeletons? | Creating names for archaeological human remains
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What's in a name? Christina and Dominic dig into the fascinating world of names – past and present.- Did early humans have language and names, a...
How difficult are comic strips and cartoons? | The language of comics
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
BAM! POW! WHAM! Dominic and Christina paint a picture of the colorful world of comic books and illustrate their linguistic quirks.- How did comics evo...
How can we keep Holocaust survivors’ voices alive? | Creating an interactive digital testimony in English
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christina and Dominic explore language, history, and technology in this episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes!- How can we digitally preserve Holoc...
Does English have an infinite number of words for drunkenness? | Drunkonyms
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christina and Dominic raise a glass to drunkonyms in this intoxicating episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes!- Why do the English have hundreds of ...
How has Star Wars changed the English language? | Words from a galaxy far, far away
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christina and Dominic examine the linguistic legacy of Star Wars in this first episode of Linguistics Behind the Scenes!- How has Star Wars influenced...
Welcome to Linguistics Behind the Scenes!
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A podcast for anyone curious about language! Christina and Dominic introduce themselves and hint at what to expect from future episodes of this podcas...