Word Play: Exploring the Art of Language

This event is a group discussion about the indicated media. Prepare for our Meetup by listening to/reading/watching the materials before joining!

This October, we will take a look at language learning. Whether it’s your first language or your fourth language, how does your brain learn that language? What could the benefits of multilingualism be? How can deaf children learn language? We’ll take a sweeping overview of this huge topic!

Podcast #1 Speaking of Psychology: The benefits of being bilingual (43m , transcript available )
The benefits of being bilingual, with Viorica Marian, PhD | Speaking of Psychology
Dr Viorica Martin is a multilingual expert in phsycholinguistics who studies language and cognition at Northwestern University

Podcast #2 Science Friday: How Signing Characters Help Deaf Children Learn Language (27m, transcript available for abridged radio edit)
How Signing Characters Help Deaf Children Learn Language: A Conversation With Melissa Malzkuhn
Listen to a conversation with Melissa Malzkuhn who is the creator of an educational show for deaf children to help them learn ASL and English.

YouTube Lecture: 50 Years of Speech Research by Dr.Patricia Kuhl (71m)
Patricia Kuhl, Ph.D. - University of Washington, Speech and Hearing, Minifie Lecture 2022
Dr. Patricia Kuhl reviews her career and the progression of knowledge on speech/language learning in a lecture

Bonus! (Watch only if you have time) YouTube of Infant brain imaging lab at UW (9m)
Infant brain imaging using magnetoencephalography: Challenges, solutions, and best practices
A video of how in the world the UW I-labs manage to get brain images of infants!

Important notes for all attendees:

1st and most important: Welcome and thank you for joining us at our MeetUp!

2nd. Do the homework! Be sure to have listened to or read the materials BEFORE joining us. It will help you stay in the loop!

3rd. Wine, beer and Topo Chico are available at the bar! Meals are not served at Winehaus but sometimes charcuterie boards are available. You are welcome to bring your dinner or order delivery from a local business and eat during the discussion!

4th. A typical meetup looks like this:
We start with an icebreaker question and introductions around the table, often with gentil banter about the icebreaker or uproarious laughter (hey, it happens!), then the hostess throws out questions to incite conversation!

Note: We do our best to stay on topic and ensure everyone is able to share, but we recognize there are times when great contributions may not make it into the discussion. If you have something you really want to say and need an outlet to do so, please join our Discord server and participate virtually as well as in person! Click here to Join FWWSS on Discord.

5th. No one is obligated for any length of time. Sometimes the discussion ends around 8:00 and sometimes we talk past 9:00.