Language

The NZ Festival's Reader and Writer's section is a chance to see some of your favourite authors and find many new ones. A very new author - at least to English language fiction - is Indonesian writer… Audio

What was the real Tower of Babylon? Why do humans speak so many languages, sometimes over small geographical distances? On this little planet we speak over 7000 distinct languages, but they're… Audio

Auckland-based poet and scholar, Selina Tusitala Marsh is New Zealand's first female Pasifika Poet Laureate. She currently lectures at Auckland University, specialising in Māori and Pacific… Audio

Parliament's language is sometimes archaic and often confusing. Can you tell your assent from your noes? Try our quiz. Audio

The former politician Don Brash accepted an invitation to travel to Whangarei last night to watch a play about a 1960s Maori family struggling to retain their language and values after moving to a… Audio

The director of a play about Māori trying to adapt to Pākehā culture says he's delighted Don Brash has agreed to drive from Auckland to Whāngārei tonight to see it. Audio

Tayi Tibble wins 2017 Adam Foundation Prize Audio

Swear words have been used in varying situations for hundreds of years, but aside from insults and exclamations, can bad language be beneficial for you? Kathryn Ryan speaks to London-based scientist… Audio

Say adieu to 'whom', check your 'LOL' usage and beware the single 'ha', says BuzzFeed's chief copy editor. Audio

The World Seniors' Championship in scrabble has kicked off in Christchurch. Paul Lister has the latest results and explains the rules being used to officiate. Audio

The panellists discuss the use of language in politics and some words, phrases and expressions that have gone by the wayside. Should some be reinstated into our collective lexicon? Audio

Dr Helen Sword runs academic writing workshops around the world. She's also the woman behind the website The Writer's Diet and has recently published a book of the same name. Audio