How mother tongue moulds us

母语如何塑造我们

The Conversation

2026-03-16

26 分钟
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Datshiane Navanayam speaks to two women who research what happens to our thoughts, feelings and behaviours when we speak many languages. To what extent do we have a “mother tongue” – and what happens if we stop using it? Dr Aneta Pavlenko is a Ukrainian-American linguist who looks at the emotional impact of moving between languages. Professor Núria Sebastián Gallés is a Spanish cognitive psychologist who studies bilingual toddlers and young babies. Produced by Rebecca Moore and Hannah Sander (Image: (L) Aneta Pavlenko, courtesy Aneta Pavlenko. (R) Núria Sebastián Gallés, courtesy Núria Sebastián Gallés.)
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  • This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

  • Dear Daughter is back with more amazing letters written by parents to their children and more powerful stories from the mother who lived through every parent's worst nightmare but found the strength to forgive her child's killer.

  • I was owed Anne's life but I was never going to be able to collect that debt.

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  • That's the biggest gift of all is just to watch her live her life to the fullest.

  • That's in season six of Dear Daughter from the BBC World Service.

  • Listen now and search for Dear Daughter wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

  • Hello, I'm Dashiani Navanayagam and welcome to the conversation from the BBC World Service,

  • the programme that amplifies women's voices,

  • allowing us to hear the incredible work and experiences of women around the world.

  • Now, it's estimated that at least half of the world's population is bilingual.

  • Maybe that's you.

  • So today we're exploring the impact that language has on us.

  • How does it influence the way we think?

  • feel and understand the world around us.

  • And what do we mean when we talk about our mother tongue?

  • My guests today are linguist Dr.

  • Aneta Pavlenko, who was born in Ukraine during the Soviet era and now lives in the United States,

  • and cognitive scientist Professor Nuria Sebastian Gáez from the Centre for Brain and Cognition at Pompu Fabra University in Barcelona.

  • Nuria and Aneta, welcome to the programme.