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Bonus 57: Linguistic 〰️✨ i l l u s i o n s ✨〰️
🕑 Added 2021-11-05 01:23:26 +0000 UTCOptical illusions are pretty well-known, like a rabbit that looks like a duck (or vice versa?) or figures that appear to move or change colour when you look at black and white patterns. But there are also many fun kinds of linguistics illusions!
In this episode, Lauren and Gretchen get enthusiastic about some of our favourite bits of language that can be two things at the same time. We talk about the where the Yanny/Laurel illusion that became popular on social media a while back came from, the McGurk (and hypothetical future McGawne?) Effect, using the Stroop Test to find spies, hallucinating words from musical instruments, the Comparative Illusion (aka "More people have been to Russia than I have"), and making our own speech to song illusion to infect you with (sorry) (no but seriously) (please read the content advisory and proceed to the separate audio file at your own risk of earworm infection).
* the Stay Lingthusiastic speech to song effect audio link here.
Announcements:
Welcome to all our new Patreons! yay sticker pack! Plus kiki/bouba stickers! You'll get them in a few weeks hopefully supply chains pending!
Here are the links mentioned in this episode:
- McGurk effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX9FYxadPoQ (really short, watch it twice once with your eyes closed)
- McGurk effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k8fHR9jKVM
- McGurk effect with gesture: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2419
- Wikipedia entry for Yanny/Laurel
- All Things Linguistic post on Yanny/Laurel
- Suzy Style's Twitter thread on Yanny/Laurel
- Veronica talking about hallucinating words on Discord
- Auditory illusions video
- Speech to Song Illusion
- Stay Lingthusiastic speech to song illusion
- Wikipedia entry for Comparative Illusion
- The Ling Space talking about Comparative Illusion
- xkcd comic on Comparative Illusion
- Lingthusiasm Episode 5: Colour words around the world and inside your brain - for more Stroop Test chat
- Using the Stroop Test t catch Russian Spies
- ...Maybe
You can listen to this episode on this page, via the Patreon RSS or download the mp3. A transcript of this episode is available as a Google Doc. Lingthusiasm is also on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com or chat to us on the Patreon page. Gretchen is on Twitter as @GretchenAMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic. Lauren is on Twitter as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.
To chat about this episode and other lingthusiastic topics with your fellow linguistics fans, join us on the Lingthusiasm Discord server.
Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production manager is Liz McCullough, and our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles
Comments
Lauren Fotiades
I just listened to the episode and was really curious to find a McGurk effect video... and it didn't work on me. :( The sound was just, exactly the same both times.
Chekhov
Me, a native Russian speaker who hasn't lived in Russia for over a decade when I hear about the Stroop Test: oh no my jig is up
“More people have been to the Emerald City than I have!” Dorothy said indignantly, when her Kansas neighbors doubted her story. It makes sense in exploration stories!
A few years ago, a friend (not entirely sober) said the sentence "Is it quicker to Toronto or by bus?" It's become a running joke in our friend group for its almost-but-not-quite-sensical-ness. It's nice to have a word for that kind of thing now. :) Thanks for the episode!
I myself have experienced the speech to song illusion before in the wild when I was watching youtube and it then it kinda spasmed and played the first like 5 words of the video over and over again
Hey Lori, welcome! You will get the bonus sticker pack in the mail as soon as we're able to post them out and the system can get them to you, then after 3 months at the Ling-phabet tier you get its regular "Lingthusiast" sticker in the mail, so that will be a total of 7 stickers and 2 joyous mail occasions for you!
Lori Petrie
Sorry if this isn’t the best place to ask this question, I’m new to the Patreon! When I signed up it said I would get a sticker pack after being subscribed for 3 months, but will I still get the sticker pack when they (hopefully) go out before Christmas since I signed up as part of the recent Ling-speriment campaign? Or do I still have to wait for 3 months? Thanks!
