Description
Michael Rosen asks Julie Sedivy about what happens when we lose our first language.
Julie Sedivy's family left their home country, the former Czechoslovakia, when Julie was a small child. They arrived in Canada as refugees with no English. Michael and Julie discuss the role of language within Julie's family story: how young children assimilate, how parents adapt and what can learned from these family experiences for the whole of society.
Julie Sedivy is a Canadian writer and language scientist, whose book on losing and reclaiming her first language is called Memory Speaks.
Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio, Bristol.
Professor Lucy Easthope explains why language is important in the aftermath of a disaster, why some words are useful and some can be damaging.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven
Published 05/16/24
Dominic Fifield explains how football clubs got their names, uncovering a fascinating social history behind the Wanderers, Wednesdays and Villas.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven
Published 05/09/24