TED Talks
Steven Pinker: What our language habits reveal
In an exclusive preview of his book The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words we choose communicate much more than we realize.
TED Talks
Megan Washington: Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking
Megan Washington is one of Australia's premier singer/songwriters. And, since childhood, she has had a stutter. In this bold and personal talk, she reveals how she copes with this speech impediment—from avoiding the letter combination...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What makes a language... a language? | Martin Hilpert
Outside of China, Mandarin and Cantonese are often referred to as Chinese dialects, despite being even more dissimilar than Spanish and Italian. On the other hand, speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, which are three distinct...
SciShow
Neanderthals Smarter Than You Think
You have more in common with a Neanderthal than you might think. Michael Aranda explains our latest finds in this episode of SciShow!
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Do animals have language? - Michele Bishop
All animals communicate. But do they have language? Michele Bishop details the four specific qualities we associate with language and investigates whether or not certain animals utilize some or all of those qualities to communicate.
TED Talks
TED: 10 ways to have a better conversation | Celeste Headlee
When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations -- and that most of us don't converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients...
TED Talks
TED: My journey from Marine to actor | Adam Driver
Before he fought in the galactic battles of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Adam Driver was a united States Marine with 1/1 Weapons Company. He tells the story of how and why he became a Marine, the complex transition from soldier to...
SciShow
How Do Babies Become Bilingual?
Have you ever seen a kid talk to her friends in English, but to her mom in Spanish? Learning a second language can be really hard for adults, so how do bilingual babies learn two at the same time?
SciShow
Why Do You Stick Out Your Tongue When You Concentrate?
Have you ever done something that required a ton of concentration, like threading a needle, and noticed that sometimes your tongue pokes out involuntarily? It turns out this reflex could be a leftover from the evolution of human language!
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class by Clint Smith
An animated interpretation of Clint Smith's poem "Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class"
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Where did English come from? - Claire Bowern
When we talk about 'English', we often think of it as a single language. But what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around the world have in common with each other, or with the writings of Chaucer? Claire Bowern traces the...
SciShow
How Archaeologists Are Literally Recreating the Past | Experimental Archaeology
Archaeology might make you think about excavating dinosaur bones or exploring ancient ruins, but we can also learn a lot about the past through experimentation, sometimes with some pretty tasty results!
TED Talks
Lýdia Machová: The secrets of learning a new language
Want to learn a new language but feel daunted or unsure where to begin? You don't need some special talent or a "language gene," says Lýdia Machová. In an upbeat, inspiring talk, she reveals the secrets of polyglots (people who speak...
SciShow
The Neuroscience of Tongue Twisters
We’ve all been tripped up by tongue-twisters. That’s the whole point! But at a neuroscientific level, they’re as difficult to understand as they are to say.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
An animated interpretation of Emma Lazarus' poem "New Colossus"
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Everything you need to know to read "The Canterbury Tales" - Iseult Gillespie
A portly Miller, barely able to sit on his horse, rambles on about the flighty wife of a crotchety old carpenter and the scholar she takes as her lover. This might sound like a bawdy joke, but it's part of one of the most esteemed works...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Alex Gendler: How languages evolve
Over the course of human history thousands of languages have developed from what was once a much smaller number. How did we end up with so many? And how do we keep track of them all? Alex Gendler explains how linguists group languages...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The race to decode a mysterious language | Susan Lupack
In the early 1900s, archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans uncovered nearly 3,000 tablets inscribed with strange symbols. He thought the script, dubbed Linear B, represented the Minoan language, while others came up with their own theories. Was...
TED Talks
TED: The electrical blueprints that orchestrate life | Michael Levin
DNA isn't the only builder in the biological world -- there's also a mysterious bioelectric layer directing cells to work together to grow organs, systems and bodies, says biologist Michael Levin. Sharing unforgettable and groundbreaking...
TED-Ed
Why do we, like, hesitate when we, um, speak? | Lorenzo García-Amaya
For as long as we've had language, some people have tried to control it. And some of the most frequent targets of this communication regulation are the ums, ers, and likes that pepper our conversations. These linguistic fillers occur...
TED Talks
Daniel H. Cohen: For argument's sake
Why do we argue? To out-reason our opponents, prove them wrong, and, most of all, to win! Right? Philosopher Daniel H. Cohen shows how our most common form of argument -- a war in which one person must win and the other must lose --...
SciShow
How Auditory Illusions Trick Your Brain into Hearing Things
Your brain relies a lot on context to tell you what sounds are bouncing around in your ears, and without enough of that context it can get a little confused.
Crash Course
Sula: Crash Course Literature
This week, John is talking about Toni Morrison's novel of friendship, betrayal, and loss, Sula. Sula tells the story of two African American girls, the town where they grew up, the tragic even that was central to their youth, and the...
TED Talks
TED: You are fluent in this language (and don't even know it) | Christoph Niemann
Without realizing it, we're fluent in the language of pictures, says illustrator Christoph Niemann. In a charming talk packed with witty, whimsical drawings, Niemann takes us on a hilarious visual tour that shows how artists tap into our...