Menu Main menu
TED
  • Watch
    • TED Talks
      Browse the library of TED talks and speakers
    • TED Recommends
      Get TED Talks picked just for you
    • Playlists
      100+ collections of TED Talks, for curious minds
    • TED Series
      Go deeper into fascinating topics with original video series from TED.
    • TED-Ed videos
      Watch, share and create lessons with TED-Ed
    • TEDx Talks
      Talks from independently organized local events
  • Discover
    • Topics
      Explore TED offerings by topic
    • Podcasts
      TED's original podcast initiatives
    • TED Books
      Short books to feed your craving for ideas
    • Ideas Blog
      Our daily coverage of the world of ideas
    • Newsletter
      Inspiration delivered straight to your inbox
  • Attend
    • Conferences
      Take part in our events: TED, TEDGlobal and more
    • TEDx events
      Find and attend local, independently organized events
    • TED on screen
      Experience TED from home
    • TED Courses
      Learn from TED speakers who expand on their world-changing ideas
  • Participate
    • Nominate
      Recommend speakers, Audacious Projects, Fellows and more
    • Organize a local TEDx event
      Rules and resources to help you plan a local TEDx event
    • Translate
      Bring TED to the non-English speaking world
    • TED Fellows
      Join or support innovators from around the globe
  • About
    • Our organization
      Our mission, history, team, and more
    • Conferences
      TED Conferences, past, present, and future
    • Programs & Initiatives
      Details about TED's world-changing initiatives
    • Partner with TED
      Learn how you can partner with us
    • TED Blog
      Updates from TED and highlights from our global community
    • TED Guide to Public Speaking
      An insider’s guide to creating talks that are unforgettable
  • Membership
Sign in
Search
Cancel search

Search menu

  • All
  • Talks 881
  • People 199
  • Playlists 49
  • Blog posts 716
  • Pages 161
  • TEDx events 229
All results
1 - 30 of 2235 results

Playlist: Great TED Talks for language practice (11 talks)

Learning another language? A collection of TED Talks to indulge in your linguistic desires. (Pro tip: Select subtitles in your preferred language to read along, too.)
Curated by TED · 11 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/great_ted_talks_for_language_practice

Playlist: How language changes over time (7 talks)

Language isn’t set in stone. It changes all the time -- and in turn, our language changes us. These talks explore how new words come to be.
Curated by TED · 7 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/how_language_changes_over_time

Playlist: Code: The next universal language (7 talks)

Dive into the digital world with these talks on coding and the importance of teaching code to future generations.
Curated by TED · 7 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/code_the_next_universal_langu

Language Coordinators

Language Coordinators are skilled, experienced volunteers who help develop their language communities. Key responsibilities:
https://www.ted.com/participate/translate/our-translators/language-coordinators

Playlist: Talks that'll inspire you to learn a new language (8 talks)

Open up a whole new world of possibilities and experiences with these talks that show the benefit (and fun!) of learning a new language.
Curated by TED · 8 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/talks_that_ll_inspire_you_to_l

Martin Hilpert: What makes a language... a language?

Outside of China, Mandarin and Cantonese are often referred to as Chinese dialects, despite being even more dissimilar than Spanish and Italian. On the other hand, speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, which are three distinct languages, can usually communicate with each other in their native tongues. So, when is speech considered a dialec...
https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_hilpert_what_makes_a_language_a_language

Ewandro Magalhaes: How interpreters juggle two languages at once

Language is complex, and when abstract or nuanced concepts get lost in translation, the consequences may be catastrophic. Given the complexities of language and cultural exchange, how do these epic miscommunications not happen all the time? Ewandro Magalhaes explains how much of the answer lies with the skill and training of interpreters to over...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ewandro_magalhaes_how_interpreters_juggle_two_languages_at_once

Michael Corballis: Evolution's great mystery: Language

What we call language is something more specific than communication. Language is about sharing what's in our minds: stories, opinions, questions, the past or future, imagined times or places, ideas. It is fundamentally open-ended, and can be used to say an unlimited number of things. So what does language mean for humanity, and how did we come t...
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_corballis_evolution_s_great_mystery_language

Suzanne Talhouk: Don't kill your language

More and more, English is a global language; speaking it is perceived as a sign of being modern. But -- what do we lose when we leave behind our mother tongues? Suzanne Talhouk makes an impassioned case to love your own language, and to cherish what it can express that no other language can. In Arabic with subtitles.
https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_talhouk_don_t_kill_your_language

Mark Pagel: How language transformed humanity

Biologist Mark Pagel shares an intriguing theory about why humans evolved our complex system of language. He suggests that language is a piece of "social technology" that allowed early human tribes to access a powerful new tool: cooperation.
https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_pagel_how_language_transformed_humanity

Ioannis Papachimonas: How computers translate human language

Is a universal translator possible in real life? We already have many programs that claim to be able to take a word, sentence, or entire book in one language and translate it into almost any other. The reality, however, is a bit more complicated. Ioannis Papachimonas shows how these machine translators work, and explains why they often get a bit...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ioannis_papachimonas_how_computers_translate_human_language

Playlist: Talks for people who love words (12 talks)

As Wittgenstein wrote, "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." Watch talks by linguists, data analysts and word nerds.
Curated by TED · 12 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/talks_for_people_who_love_words

Suzanne Talhouk | TED Speaker

Suzanne Talhouk is an advocate for the Arabic language as a tool of power, pride and unity.
Poet and language advocate
https://www.ted.com/speakers/suzanne_talhouk

Murray Gell-Mann: The ancestor of language

After speaking at TED2007 on elegance in physics, the amazing Murray Gell-Mann gives a quick overview of another passionate interest: finding the common ancestry of our modern languages.
https://www.ted.com/talks/murray_gell_mann_the_ancestor_of_language

Noah Zandan: The language of lying

We hear anywhere from 10 to 200 lies a day. And although we've spent much of our history coming up with ways to detect these lies by tracking physiological changes in their tellers, these methods have proved unreliable. Is there a more direct approach? Noah Zandan uses some famous examples of lying to illustrate how we might use communications s...
https://www.ted.com/talks/noah_zandan_the_language_of_lying

Claire Bowern: Where did English come from?

When we talk about 'English', we often think of it as a single language. But what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around the world have in common with each other, or with the writings of Chaucer? Claire Bowern traces the language from the present day back to its ancient roots, showing how English has evolved through generations of ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/claire_bowern_where_did_english_come_from

Lýdia Machová: The secrets of learning a new language

Want to learn a new language but feel daunted or unsure where to begin? You don't need some special talent or a "language gene," says Lýdia Machová. In an upbeat, inspiring talk, she reveals the secrets of polyglots (people who speak multiple languages) and shares four principles to help unlock your own hidden language talent -- and have fun whi...
https://www.ted.com/talks/lydia_machova_the_secrets_of_learning_a_new_language

Kate Gardoqui: How did English evolve?

What is the difference between "a hearty welcome" and "a cordial reception"? In a brief, action-packed history of the English language, Kate Gardoqui explains why these semantically equal phrases evoke such different images. [Directed by Ben Tobitt, narrated by Kate Gardoqui].
https://www.ted.com/talks/kate_gardoqui_how_did_english_evolve

David Peterson: Why language is humanity's greatest invention

Civilization rests upon the existence of language, says language creator David Peterson. In a talk that's equal parts passionate and hilarious, he shows how studying, preserving and inventing new languages helps us understand our collective humanity -- and gives a quick lesson on High Valyrian, one of two languages he created for "Game of Throne...
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_peterson_why_language_is_humanity_s_greatest_invention

Playlist: Check your assumptions (14 talks)

Everyone makes snap judgments. These talks challenge the hidden biases we all hold -- around looks, race, class, gender, language.
Curated by TED · 14 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/check_your_assumptions

John McWhorter: 4 reasons to learn a new language

English is fast becoming the world's universal language, and instant translation technology is improving every year. So why bother learning a foreign language? Linguist and Columbia professor John McWhorter shares four alluring benefits of learning an unfamiliar tongue.
https://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_4_reasons_to_learn_a_new_language

Anne Curzan | TED Speaker

English professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes.
Language historian
https://www.ted.com/speakers/anne_curzan

John McWhorter: Txtng is killing language. JK!!!

Does texting mean the death of good writing skills? John McWhorter posits that there’s much more to texting -- linguistically, culturally -- than it seems, and it’s all good news.
https://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk

Ronald Murray: The language of ballroom culture

Between television, the movies and top 40 lists, ballroom culture was appropriated by pop culture decades ago. With the spectacular support of a team of dancers, community leader Ronald Murray reclaims the subculture's narrative for queer communities of color.
https://www.ted.com/talks/ronald_murray_the_language_of_ballroom_culture

John McWhorter | TED Speaker

Linguist John McWhorter thinks about language in relation to race, politics and our shared cultural history.
Linguist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/john_mcwhorter

Steven Pinker: What our language habits reveal

In an exclusive preview of his book The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words we choose communicate much more than we realize.
https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_what_our_language_habits_reveal

Patricia Ryan | TED Speaker

Patricia Ryan has spent the past three-plus decades teaching English in Arabic countries -- where she has seen vast cultural (and linguistic) change.
Language teacher
https://www.ted.com/speakers/patricia_ryan

Poet Ali: The language of being human

You speak far more languages than you realize, says Poet Ali. In a profound talk, he reveals how the idea of "language" goes far beyond a lexicon of words, communicating universal experiences like love, laughter and loneliness -- and serving as a portal to cultures, feelings and thoughts that unite us all.
https://www.ted.com/talks/poet_ali_the_language_of_being_human

Playlist: The pursuit of curiosity and understanding (6 talks)

Curious about the world? These fascinating talks will encourage you to seek and experience the endless delight and intrigue it offers.
Curated by TED · 6 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/the_pursuit_of_curiosity_and_understanding

Beth Mortimer and Tarje Nissen-Meyer: The enigmatic language of elephants

Elephants communicate using sounds deeper than the human ear can detect. Biologist Beth Mortimer and geophysicist Tarje Nissen-Meyer plan to eavesdrop on their conversations using a noninvasive, real-time and low-cost study method that can also potentially help locals in developing countries fight poaching. Learn how they keep an ear to the grou...
https://www.ted.com/talks/beth_mortimer_and_tarje_nissen_meyer_the_enigmatic_language_of_elephants
Previous|1|2|3|4|5…75|Next
TED

Programs & initiatives

  • TEDx
  • TED Fellows
  • TED Ed
  • TED Translators
  • TED Institute
  • The Audacious Project
  • TED@Work
  • TED Speakers Bureau
  • TED Courses

Ways to get TED

  • Podcasts
  • More ways to get TED

Follow TED

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • TED Blog

Our community

  • TED Speakers
  • TED Fellows
  • TED Translators
  • TEDx Organizers
  • TED Community

Want personalized recommendations?

Join TED Recommends and get the perfect ideas selected just for you.
Get started

Language Selector

TED.com translations are made possible by volunteer translators. Learn more about the Open Translation Project.

  • TED Talks Usage Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertising / Partnership
  • TED.com Terms of Use
  • Jobs
  • Press
  • Help
  • Membership

© TED Conferences, LLC. All rights reserved.