Frys Planet Word

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1 General Information
2 Cover
3 Information
4 Screenshots
5 Technical Specs
6 Links

[edit] General Information

Science Documentary hosted by Stephen Fry, published by BBC in 2011 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

'The way you speak is who you are and the tones of your voice and the tricks of your emailing and tweeting and letter-writing, can be recognised unmistakably in the minds of those who know and love you.' Stephen Fry Language is what defines humans from other species, and with our planet home to around 7,000 different languages, words have played a crucial role in our evolution. Renowned wordsmith Stephen Fry is the perfect guide for this fascinating exploration of language in all its forms: from cutting edge linguistic research to the glories of world literature. The series travels the globe as Fry takes viewers on a journey through the thousands of years since man first mastered speech to the cyber world of today with its html, codes and texting. Revealing how language is used, abused and continues to evolve, Fry's Planet Word looks at whether we are any closer to understanding the most complex activity of the human brain. From feral children to fairy-tale princesses, secrets codes, invented languages - even a language that was eaten! - Planet Word uncovers everything you didn't know you needed to know about how language evolves. Learn the tricks to political propaganda, why we can talk but animals can't, discover 3,000-year-old clay tablets that discussed beer and impotence and test yourself at textese - do you know your RMEs from your LOLs? Meet the 105-year-old man who invented modern-day Chinese and all but eradicated illiteracy, and find out why language caused the go-light in Japan to be blue. From the dusty scrolls of the past to the unknown digital future, and with (heart) the first graphic to enter the OED, are we already well on our way to a language without words? In a round-the-world trip of a lifetime, discover all this and more as Stephen Fry travels across our gloriously, endlessly intriguing multilingual Planet Word. Sprout Pictures Production for BBC

[edit] Babel

In this first episode, Stephen Fry seeks to uncover the origins of language and how and why we are the only species on the planet to have this gift. Stephen attempts to find out why man is so advanced in his levels of communication when compared with the rest of the animal world. He also takes a look at the history of feral children and sign-language. He sees a child learning to speak over the course of nine months which gves him a better idea of how language itself is constructed.

[edit] Identity

What is it that defines us? Stephen argues that above all, it is the way we speak. Be it a national language, a regional dialect or even class variation - we interpret and define ourselves through our language. Stephen takes a look at the relationship between speech and identity. He learns how TV soaps are keeping the Irish language alive and how the 6000 plus languages in the world are threatened with linguicide.

[edit] Uses and Abuses

This episode looks at the ways language is used and abused. While not everyone approves of 'bad' language, host Stephen Fry learns that swearing plays an important part in human communication all over the world. Stephen has an MRI scan and discovers what parts of the brain associated with swearing. He meets a woman who is suffering with Tourette's Syndrome as well as a stroke patient who can't help using the F-word.

[edit] Spreading the Word

Stephen Fry explores 'The Written Word', starting with the earliest form of writing - cuneiform, and ending with the modern inventions of blogging and twittering. Writing is our greatest invention - making it possible to communicate across space and time. Without writing we would have no history, and very little technology. Stephen finds out more about the written word as he continues to find out about the origins of human language.

[edit] The Power and the Glory

Stephen Fry celebrates storytelling and its influence on language. Storytelling has been with us as long as language itself. In this episode Stephen uncovers why certain words can make us laugh, cry or tear our hair out and discovers what has made a good story throughout history.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4.1
Video Bitrate: CRF 21 / 2 748 Kbps
Video Resolution: 1280x720
Video Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 59 mins
Number Of Parts: 5
Part Size: 1.11 GB - 1.23 GiB
Source: HDTV
Capper: FTP