Human Emotions (4)
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Hello.
This is 6 Minute English and I'm Neil.
Joining me for our discussion is Georgina.
Georgina
Neil Now, Georgina, you're a chatty, sociable
kind of person, aren't you?
Georgina
But would you go up to a stranger and strike up a conversation?
That might be going too far – if you don't know them, what are you going to start talking
about?
A good question.
But maybe you should – because in this programme we're looking at how talking to strangers
might actually be good for you!
But first, let me talk to you about today's question.
I'd like you to answer this.
To make conversation we need words – so according to the Oxford English dictionary,
approximately how many words are in use in the English language?
Is it… a) 171,146
b) 271,146 c) 371,146
We use a lot of words in English, but not 371,000 – so I'll go for a) 171,146.
OK.
Well, as always I will reveal the answer later in the programme.
Now, let's continue our conversation about having conversations with strangers!
Many of us spend part of every day surrounded by strangers, whether on our commute to work,
sitting in a park or cafe, or visiting the supermarket.
But we rarely reach out and talk to them because we fear it would make us both feel uncomfortable
– or awkward.
And Gillian Sandstrom, social psychologist from Essex University in the UK, can explain
why.
Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4's All In The Mind programme….
We kind of underestimate, we have this negative voice in our head that's telling us "I shouldn't
have said that, why did I do that?
I said that story better last time".
But the other person doesn't know any of that and they're probably… they might be anticipating
that they won't have a positive conversation and then they do.
And they think, wow, that person was amazing.
So we walk round with this fear that the other person isn't going to be interested in talking
to us.
Fascinating stuff.
So we have a negative voice in our head telling us about all the bad things that might happen.
We basically underestimate ourselves.
To underestimate means to think that something is smaller or less important than it really
is.
We worry that what we say won't be interesting or important enough.
Ah, but the other person doesn't know that.
They're also anticipating – or guessing - the outcome.
They're thinking that if they have a conversation, it won't go well.
But of course, when strangers do talk to each other it normally goes well.
Yes, it's just fear that is stopping us.
But if we get over that fear, and get chatting, people might actually like us – and we might
make new friends.
Another reason why you should pluck up the courage to talk to strangers is that it's
good for our health!
‘Pluck up the courage' – that's a good phrase, Georgina, meaning force yourself
to do something that you're scared about and… research by the University of Chicago
found we may often underestimate the positive impact of connecting with others for both
our own and others' wellbeing.
And connecting here means starting or having a good relationship with someone.
So the research found that, for example, having a conversation with a stranger on your way
to work may leave you both feeling happier than you would think.
Gillian Sandstrom also spoke about her research and the power of talking to strangers on the
You and Yours programme.
Listen out for the word ‘connected'…
What we've shown in the research is that it's really good for your mood.
So people are in a better mood after they reach out and have a conversation, however
minimal, and the other thing that the research has shown is that just makes people feel more
connected to each other.
There you go!
Talking to strangers is good for our mood – and mood means the way we feel.
It's good for our mental health – and we might discover people actually like us!
And even if we're an introvert – a person who prefers to be alone rather than with other
people - experiments have shown that talking to others can make us happier.
The problem remains, Neil, that when speaking to someone new, what do you talk about?
How about some interesting facts – like approximately how many words are in use in
the English language?
Which is what I asked you earlier.
Is it? a) 171,146
b) 271,146 c) 371,146
What did you say, Georgina?
I said 171,146.
Was I right?
Spot on, Georgina.
Well done!
Yes, there are an estimated 171,146 words currently in use in the English language,
according to the Oxford English Dictionary –plus many more obsolete words.
I shall pick a few of them and make conversation with someone on the Tube later, but not before
we recap some of the vocabulary we've explained.
Yes – so we highlighted six words, starting with underestimate which is to think that
something is smaller or less important than it really is.
Anticipating means guessing or expecting a certain outcome.
I anticipate this programme to be 6 minutes long!
That's a given!
Next, we mentioned the phrase to pluck up the courage,meaning to force yourself to do
something that you're scared or nervous about.
When you connect with someone, it means you start or have a good relationship with someone.
I think we've connected on this programme, Neil!
Absolutely, Georgina.
And that's put me in a good mood – mood means the way we feel.
And finally, an introvert is a person who prefers to spend time on their own.
Thanks, Georgina.
Well, that's our conversation over, but you can hear more from us on our website and
on our app.
Goodbye!
Bye!
Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English.
I'm Neil.
And I'm Sam.
Sam, do you know Stephen Fry?
Not personally, but I know of him.
Stephen Fry is an English writer and comedian and is well known for being extremely intelligent
and very knowledgeable about many things cultural, historical and linguistic.
To be knowledgeable means 'to know a lot about something'.
I wish I was half as knowledgeable as he is!
I wish I were a quarter as knowledgeable!
There is still time, Sam!
And maybe this week's question will help you become just a little bit more knowledgeable
on the topic of the telephone.
The first long distance telephone call was made in 1876.
Approximately what was the distance of that call?
Was it:
A: 10km?
B: 15km?
Or C: 20km?
What do you think Sam?
So when you say long distance ……?
For the time, yes.
Remember the telephone was only a baby in 1876.
In that case, I'll say approximately 15km.
But that's just a guess - a long distance guess.
We'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme.
Stephen Fry is also known as a technophile.
The suffix ‘phile' means 'a lover of that thing'.
So a technophile is someone who loves technology.
Fry was a guest on the BBC podcast Word of Mouth and was talking about the technology
of communication.
It seems he's not a fan of the telephone.
But why not?
I think the telephone was a really annoying blip in our communications and that's old
technology.
I mean that's 1880s, 90s.
When you're on the telephone to someone, especially if you're British – you know, that Bernard
Shaw thing – oh, you know, the moment one Englishman opens his mouth another Englishman
despises him - when you're speaking to someone on the telephone all the age, class, education,
vocabulary all come into play because it's in real time and it's embarrassing.
I hate being on the telephone to people - especially strangers in shops and things like that because
it's embarrassing and awkward.
So, why doesn't he like the telephone?
Well, he uses a quote from the writer George Bernard Shaw.
It's not the exact quote but the meaning is that as soon as an English person speaks,
another English person despises them.
To despise someone is a very strong emotion and it means 'to really hate someone'.
So, what is it about the English person's voice that leads others to despise them?
Stephen Fry goes on to explain that there is a lot of information about someone that
people get from their voice.
You can make a judgment about someone's age, level of education and class from the
way that they speak and the vocabulary they use.
Class refers to your economic and social position in a society.
In Britain, we talk about three classes: upper class, middle class and working class.
The family into which you are born dictates your class.
These used to be a lot more important in British society but there are still different prejudices
and negative feelings related to the relationship between the classes.
Exactly, so hearing someone's voice on the telephone might make you think something negative
about someone based on very old-fashioned ideas of class.
What makes it worse is that these conversations happen in real time.
This means they are 'happening live', 'not recorded', so you have no time to really think
about it.
So he may be a technophile, but he's not a fan of the phone!
Indeed.
He called it a blip, which is a word for when something is not quite right - when there
is a fault or a mistake which is usually not long lasting.
So do you think he's right?
Well, actually, I don't like to talk to strangers on the phone very much myself, but
that's just me.
But I do think that although the class divisions in British society are much less obvious and
much less important than in the past, we still do make judgements about people based on how
they speak and those judgements can often be completely false.
Right, nearly time to review our vocabulary, but first, let's have the answer to today's
question.
The first long distance telephone call was made in 1876.
Approximately what was the distance of that call?
Was it:
A: 10km?
B: 15km?
Or C: 20km?
What did you think, Sam?
I guessed 15km.
But it was just a guess.
Well, sadly, on this occasion it was not a correct guess.
The correct answer is approximately 10km or 6 miles.
Congratulations if you go that right.
Now on with the vocabulary.
We started with the adjective knowledgeable, which means 'knowing a lot about something'.
A technophile is someone who loves technology.
To despise someone is to hate someone strongly.
Class refers to a group in society you are said to belong to from your birth.
Certain stereotypes are often attached to different classes to do with intelligence
and education, for example.
In real time is an expression that means 'happening live, without any pauses or breaks'.
So for example, you aren't listening to this programme in real time,
Well, I am.
Well, of course, you are Neil, because you are here with me as we are recording.
But if you're listening to the podcast, it's no longer real time.
It's been recorded and edited.
And we had one other word, didn't we?
Yes, a blip, which is a temporary fault, or mistake.
Well, that's all we've got for this programme.
For more, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our YouTube pages and, of course, our
website bbclearningenglish.com, where you can find all kinds of other programmes and
videos and activities to help you improve your English.
Thank you for joining us and goodbye!
Bye!
Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English.
I'm Neil.
And I'm Sam.
In this programme we'll be talking about the emotion of shame.
What can you tell us about this word, Sam?
ell, it can be a verb or a noun.
As a noun it's an emotion for the uncomfortable feeling we have when we feel embarrassed or
guilty about something that we've done.
It's a very strong feeling.
