Deciphering Ancient Scripts: Interview with Silvia Ferrara

Words for Granted by Raymond Belli

Mar 12, 202248:17Society & Culture

Have you ever wondered how writing was invented - or, how many times it was invented? How many undeciphered scripts has the ancient world left us, and is there any hope in eventually deciphering them? In this interview w...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Words for Granted.

A 5,000 Year History of Punctuation: Interview with Florence Hazrat

Aug 30, 2026 - 01:03:04

Today, we live in a world where text is, by default, punctuated. But the ubiquity of punctuation is a sur...

The Oxford Comma Debate: Interview with Jay Stookesbery

Jul 27, 2026 - 42:57

In this episode, Ray and Jay discuss the question first raised by the 2000s indie rock band, Vampire Week...

The Simplified Spelling Movement: Interview with Gabe Henry

Jun 22, 2026 - 36:52

We all know English spelling is inconsistent, but some people have actually tried to change it. In this e...

The Proto-Indo-European Puzzle: Interview with Laura Spinney

May 11, 2026 - 50:17

In this episode, Ray chats with author Laura Spinney about Proto-Indo-European, the ancestral language of...

The Science and History of English Accents: Interview with Valerie Fridland

Apr 20, 2026 - 46:20

In this episode, Ray talks with linguist Valerie Friedland about accents—what they are, where they come f...

The History of the Alphabet: Interview with Danny Bate

Mar 17, 2026 - 44:49

In this episode, author Danny Bate walks through the alphabet's evolution from its origins in Egyptian hi...

Lessons on Language with the Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogerty)

Jan 2, 2024 - 31:45

In this episode, Ray chats with Mignon Fogerty, aka the Grammar Girl. "Good grammar" may seem like the ep...

The Marvels of Translation: Interview with Keith Khan-Harris

Jul 8, 2023 - 37:50

What can we learn about the nature of translation by reading a warning message in hundreds of different l...