Hello!

We are expanding our program offerings in our Interactive Videoconferencing Ask the Scientist series to include new scientists and subjects. This new offering would revolve around the science behind language. We have 4 sample programs below. Please read them and then answer the questions below regarding your interest levels towards these. Please let us know which of these you find interesting or would consider using in your class/recommending to other teachers. It could be all of the options, some, or none!

Language & Computers

It feels like we have conversations with computers and on computers all the time.  Are computers changing the way language works?  This program will talk about things like:
• Do Siri and Alexa really know English?  How do those computer voices work?
• How can you tell if you’re talking to a computer or to a real person?  Does it matter?
• Social media is a gold mine of language data for scientists. What do they do with it?
• Are Emojis a new language?
 
 
Language & the Mind

We use language all the time without really thinking about it, but it takes a lot of mental effort to say what we mean and to understand what other people are talking about.  How do people make that work?  This program will talk about things like:
• What happens inside your brain when you’re listening to people talk?  
• How is language organized in the brain?  
• Why don’t people always understand each other?  What happens when conversations go wrong?
 
 
Language & Identity

How we say things – what words we use, how we pronounce them, and more – tells other people a lot about who we are and how we are feeling.  How does that happen? This program will talk about things like:
• Do you talk with an accent? Who has an accent? How do you know?
• Why do some languages sound harsh, or ugly, or beautiful?
• What is the difference between how men sound and how women sound?
 
 
Language Learning

If you’ve tried learning a foreign language, you know that it’s HARD!  But most little babies learn their first language without even going to school.  How is that possible? This program will talk about things like:
• When do children start learning language (a lot earlier than you probably think!)?
• How do babies learn language?
• What’s the best way to learn a second language and why is it good to learn one?
• Are some languages harder (or easier) to learn than others?
• Can animals learn a human language?