An Entertaining Transatlantic Backstage Tour of Research on Language
German Professor of English and Digital Linguistics and American co-host launch new podcast “Linguistics Behind the Scenes” for general audiences
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Banner of the Podcast. Graphic: Prof. Dr. Christna Sanchez-Stockhammer
Is the language in comics particularly simple? Which words from Star Wars have already become part of everyday language? And does the German afternoon last as long as the English afternoon? The new podcast “Linguistics Behind the Scenes,” produced at Chemnitz University of Technology, answers these questions and many more in a fun and accessible way.
“There are many podcasts out there, and quite a few science podcasts about language. But we are the only ones who take the audience behind the scenes of linguistic research and share the stories behind academic publications,” explains Professor Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, who just launched the podcast alongside Dominic Piazza, a political scientist from California and a Junior Ambassador of the United States as part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange.
Sanchez-Stockhammer and Piazza engage in lighthearted conversations on anything and everything related to language and linguistics, from pop culture to history and beyond. While the primary focus is English, the two delight in comparing it to German and pulling examples from many other languages around the world, like Spanish, French, and Japanese. Sanchez-Stockhammer also provides interesting insights into her own linguistic research.
“When it comes to linguistics, nothing is too obscure to pique our interest,” says Piazza, “and we hope to share our passion for all things linguistic with the world.” Sanchez-Stockhammer adds, “Our podcast is a bit of a grab bag – you never know what you’re going to get. But it’s exciting, and in one way or another, almost everything in life is connected to language.”
Information about the podcast “Linguistics Behind the Scenes”: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/phil/english/sections/edling/sciencecommunication/podcast.php
Listen to the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bjIyUqBGg3VJbiaOTGByl?si=LBuwMzknQ_W_7ZH3KxtkDw
Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/linguistics-behind-the-scenes/id1799779038
Listen to the podcast on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LinguisticsBTS
Transcripts of the episodes: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/phil/english/sections/edling/sciencecommunication/podcast-transcripts.php
For any questions, please get in touch with Prof. Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, tel. +49 (0)371 531-32444, email christina.sanchez@phil.tu-chemnitz.de.
Mario Steinebach
21.03.2025
