Professor Ian Roberts will explore how languages shape human culture and human thought. Some languages have shaped our world more than others and some of them are not as obvious as you might think. This talk offers a sample of those languages, from Sanskrit to Singlish, via French and Esperanto, with one or two real surprises along the way.

Festival of Ideas 2013

Ideas and languages: 10 languages that changed the world

2013 marks the six-year anniversary of the Festival of Ideas, a University of Cambridge public engagement initiative that celebrates the arts, humanities and social sciences by showcasing a diverse mix of inspirational talks, performances, films, exhibitions and other creative displays. The Festival of Ideas focuses on fuelling the public’s interest in and involvement with the arts, humanities and social sciences in a unique and inspiring way. It aims to gauge the similarities and differences in the approaches to public engagement required for science, technology, engineering and maths, and for the arts, humanities and social sciences.

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Festival of Ideas 2013