Monday, 7 January 2013

Different talks about english and languages.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_walker_on_the_world_s_english_mania.html
Jay Walker explains why two billion people around the world are trying to learn English. He shares photos and spine-tingling audio of Chinese students rehearsing English -- "the world's second language" -- by the thousands.

http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_pagel_how_language_transformed_humanity.html
Mark Pagel: How language transformed humanity
 Biologist Mark Pagel shares an intriguing theory about why humans evolved our complex system of language. He suggests that language is a piece of "social technology" that allowed early human tribes to access a powerful new tool: cooperation.

http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html
Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies
Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another -- by listening to the humans around them and "taking statistics" on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show how 6-month-old babies use sophisticated reasoning to understand their world. 

 http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_ryan_ideas_in_all_languages_not_just_english.html
Patricia Ryan: Don't insist on English!
 In her talk, longtime English teacher Patricia Ryan asks a provocative question: Is the world's focus on English preventing the spread of great ideas in other languages? (For instance: what if Einstein had to pass the TOEFL?) It's a passionate defense of translating and sharing ideas

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