Language Nerds Do Earth

Episode 23: Cultural Superstitions

superstitious beliefs from around the world

Hello, wonderful people! Welcome back after our short little break we took due to travel and sickness, and this week we have an extra-special episode to make up for it! Are you someone who always throws salt over their left shoulder, or shudders at the thought of walking under a ladder? Maybe you’re someone who carries a rabbit’s foot or lucky penny. Whether you consider yourself “superstitious” or not, superstitions are some powerful remnants within different cultures of a time when the world was a lot more mysterious and because of that, scarier. In this episode we hear from some very special guests about superstitions they grew up with. We hear a sampling of some from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, and Venezuela! We also take a look at some of the origins of common superstitions from the English-speaking world, as well as why we even have these (sometimes wacky) beliefs!

Check out some links to articles we used, and the episode of Lore Rachel mentioned about fairies!

In Language News, we discuss some research done using Twitter to analyze the way new words develop and spread in the United States. Surprisingly, it’s not consistent with the current models for language development. Check out the article we referenced here.

Thanks so much to Leonard in the US for his Lost in Translation story! As we learn, it’s not always easy using transportation systems in a foreign country!

To submit your Lost in Translation moment, go to our contact section and record your voice! Or send us a voice note to languagenerdsdoearth@gmail.com. Don’t forget to like our Facebook page and give us some stars on iTunes!

 

Muslim “rosary” = Misbaha (prayer beads)

 

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