The surprising history (and politics) of emoji, with Keith Houston
3 July - 28 mins1096. This week, we look at the world of emoji with Keith Houston, author of "Face with Tears of Joy." He discusses the long history of emoji, from ancient origins to early computer character sets, and the formal process of proposing new emoji to the Unicode Consortium. We also look at how emoji can be blends of multiple characters and tell us more about cultural, generational, and political attitudes.
Keith Houston - Shadycharacters.co.uk
Keith's book - "Face with Tears of Joy"
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Series Episodes
Is âsickâ...good? What we think of posh language and class. Misunderseed
1095. Is âsickâ really âgoodâ? This week, we look at how words flip their meanings and why language changes over time. Then, we look at the 1950s idea of "U and Non-U English" and what it tells us about social climbing.
17 mins
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The language of childrenâs storytelling, with Doug Fraser
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19 mins
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Why we drop sounds. ChatGPT is changing how people talk. Kombi
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17 mins
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What your accent says about you (and your identity), with Rob Drummond
1092. Your accent may be saying more than your words. Sociolinguist Rob Drummond explains how accents shape our identities, how they differ across social classes, and why changing your accent can affect how youâre perceived.
31 mins
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Are em dashes really a sign of AI writing? 'Caretaker' vs. 'caregiver'
1091. Is the em dash a sign of AI writing? I looked at where the idea comes from, and we have the final answer! Then, we look at the difference between "caregiver" and "caretaker."
17 mins
17 June Finished
