«Half the letters in a French sentence are often silent, but they aren't useless. They serve as a signalling mechanism for the educated class. Join me to discover why French spelling is so complex, how it shapes society, and how modern NLP tools (from spell-checkers to ChatGPT) are levelling the playing field. »

«Kurdish is spoken by tens of millions of people, yet it remains underrepresented in language technology. In this talk, I introduce Kurdish through a set of curious and sometimes unexpected linguistic features, from its rich dialect diversity to its various writing systems. I then turn to the current state of technology, asking why tools we take for granted in other languages often struggle with Kurdish. The talk is designed as a light, accessible tour that combines linguistic insight with a broader reflection on inclusion and bias in modern NLP. »

«I will teach you a key skill - how to ask for ice-cream in Slovak. And there will be a map, to show you where Slovakia is.»

«Come along to a fun session on the Russian language! We will look at what makes Russian unique and share some interesting facts, plus a few jokes along the way. No need to know any Russian, just bring your curiosity and a sense of humor!»

«I will present an overview of the Spanish language, covering its global reach as one of the world's most spoken languages with over 500 million speakers across multiple continents. The presentation will also explore distinctive linguistic features of Spanish, including aspects of its grammar, phonetics, and regional variations.»

«Join to explore Urdu—a language shaped by centuries of cultural fusion. Blending Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, English, and more, Urdu is inherently multicultural, continually evolving through its remarkable ability to absorb and adapt new vocabulary. Spoken by over 200 million people and ranked as the 11th most spoken language in the world, Urdu offers far more than words. Its script is visually artistic, drawing from rich calligraphic traditions, while its spoken form carries a natural melody. A unique highlight of Urdu is its striking phonetic richness. Urdu incorporates a wide range of sounds—from soft to deep and retroflex consonants—giving speakers exceptional phonetic diversity. This broad sound palette equips Urdu speakers with an ear and tongue highly adaptable for learning and pronouncing other languages. Finally, thanks to its high mutual intelligibility with several related languages, an Urdu speaker can practically connect with around 10% of the world’s population.»

«With around 110 million speakers and ancient origins dating back to atleast 400 BC, Telugu is the 4th most spoken language in India and 14th most spoken language globally owing to the prevalence of Telugu-speaking software developers who have gone around the world (Satya Nadella, Microsoft; Arvind Krishna, IBM among others). Musical to the ear, surgically precise in phonetics and deeply expressive in nature, learn what makes this language unique and different from any other language in the world.»

«Discover the elegance and logic of Indonesian, a language that serves as the unifying voice for over 270 million people across 17,000 islands. This session offers a fascinating look at why Indonesian is celebrated as one of the world's most accessible languages, featuring its Latin-based script, gender-neutral pronouns, and intuitive grammar. We will explore its unique evolution into a modern national language, its clever use of "reduplication" for pluralization, and how it seamlessly blends a rich tapestry of global influences. Perfect for travelers, linguists, and anyone curious about Southeast Asian culture, this talk provides a compelling gateway into the heart of the Indonesian archipelago.»

«Nearly a quarter of the world's languages are spoken in the Pacific and PNG. This amazing spread of languages includes ancient lineages in PNG, more recent Polynesian and Melanesian languages, and even more recent Creole languages like Tok Pisin or Bislama. In this short talk I will outline the range of languages and their history. I will play examples of these languages and briefly talk about the kinds of grammatical features they display.»

«The Anatolian languages are an extinct family of languages originating from what is now Türkiye. Their place in the Indo-European language group, epigraphy and influence will be discussed.»

«Persian is one of the world’s oldest living languages, with a history of over 2,500 years, and it has been spoken across a wide region for centuries. Today, it connects people across cultures and countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, and is known for its rich poetry, warmth, and expressive everyday phrases. Join us for a fun and informative session with interactive activities; you’ll leave the session able to have simple conversations in Persian with not only your Iranian friends but also Afghans, or Tajiks!»

«Three Languages, One Origin: The Journey from Sanskrit: Hindi and Bengali trace their roots to Sanskrit, sharing deep linguistic and grammatical foundations. Yet over time, major shifts in grammar, regional evolution, and historical influences - especially Persian impact during the Mughal era - shaped them into distinct languages with unique identities. »

«How Nepali has evolved from past to present, especially under the influence of globalization and digital media. I will share its historical roots and how people can relate to the modern form of Nepali today. The presentation will finish with a small takeaway - sharing with the audience a simple, popular really short 'Nepali sentence' they can actually use to connect with Nepali speakers anywhere.»

«Ever wondered why a computer is called an "electric brain" or why cheering someone on means "add oil" in translation of Chinese? Join my relaxed and interactive presentation to Mandarin Chinese, where I will introduce dialect, explore characters, and uncover the quirky logic behind everyday words.»

«Deeply entwined with cultural tradition, historical context and the love of natural beauty, Japanese, a language as unique as the nation and its people, is spoken by 125 million over the world. With fewer consonants than other languages and soft-vowel endings, this melodious-sounding language lends itself perfectly to poetry and philosophy.  Blending three different scripts in one sentence, even commonplace writing looks like a work of art. Today, modern pop culture has taken this language and its culture all around the world - it would be hard to find anyone who hasn't been touched in some way or the other by something originating from Japan. »

Taniguchi Buson (1716-1783) taken from "One Hundred Famous HAIKU: Selected and Translated into English" by Daniel C. Buchanan, Japan Publications, Inc, 1973