Fry's Planet Word Season 1 Episode 1 Babel

In the first episode of Fry's Planet Word, titled Babel, Stephen Fry takes us on a journey through the fascinating and complex world of language. Fry begins by exploring the origins of human language and how it evolved into the complex systems of communication that we use today. He looks at the earliest forms of writing and how it changed the way we think about and record language, as well as how it influenced the development of different languages around the world.

Fry then takes us on a journey from his home country of England to India, where he explores the country's multilingualism and how it has shaped the culture and identity of its people. He talks to locals who speak many different languages, from Hindi to Urdu to English, and learns about the challenges and opportunities that come with being multilingual.

Next, Fry travels to Israel to explore the fascinating and often misunderstood world of Hebrew. He looks at the history of the language and how it was almost lost before being revived as the official language of Israel. Fry also explores the unique features of the language, such as the lack of vowels in written Hebrew and the influence of religious texts on the Hebrew language.

Fry then heads to China to investigate the country's booming industry in teaching English as a second language. He interviews Chinese students and teachers to understand the motivations behind the trend and how it is affecting Chinese culture and identity.

Finally, Fry returns to England to look at the impact of technology on language. He examines the ways in which social media and texting are changing the way we communicate and how it is affecting language use and development. Fry also explores the emerging field of computational linguistics and how it is helping us to better understand and analyze human language.

Throughout the episode, Fry's passion for language shines through as he shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for all things linguistic. Babel is a fascinating and thought-provoking exploration of the power and beauty of language, and a great start to what promises to be an engaging and informative series.