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Introduction

What do babies need to learn to be able to talk? Georgie and Phil discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.

This week's question

At what age do babies usually start babbling?

a) around 6 months old?
b) around 9 months old? or,
c) around 1 year old?

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

babble
meaningless noises and sounds which babies make as they start learning to speak

stressed syllable
sound within a word which is emphasised by being spoken longer, louder or higher than the other sounds

error
mistake

classic example
perfect or most typical example of something which has all the features which you expect such a thing to have

take (something) for granted
accept or assume something without question

ambiguous
having more than one possible meaning; being open to interpretation
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Phil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.

Phil
Babies have to learn to use their mouth muscles to make specific sounds. They experiment with different sounds and mouth shapes. So, what exactly is happening when babies start learning to speak? What do you think, Georgie?

Georgie
Well, Phil, I'm no expert, but I imagine they watch the adults around them and kind of copy and imitate what they do. What do you think?

Phil
I definitely think that's what my children did when they were learning to speak. Well, let's compare our ideas with those of an expert - Professor Julian Pine from Liverpool University, speaking here on BBC Radio 4, and he lists the skills that babies develop in order to speak:

Professor Julian Pine
Well, one of the first things the child's got to do is, they've got to break down the speech stream into words. Then they've got to link the words to the things that they refer to in the environment, so they've got to learn what the words mean. [Right].

Georgie
In this programme, we'll discover how babies learn to speak, and, as usual, we'll learn some useful new vocabulary. And on the subject of words, remember you can find a list of this programme's vocabulary on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Some people find it helpful to study the vocabulary before listening.

a) around 6 months old?
b) around 9 months old? or,
c) around 1 year old?

Georgie
OK, I think my best guess would be a) around six months old.

Michael Rosen
Ooh, and I've got an example of this - my son used to call a machine a 'sminge' - he just hit the stress, he didn't bother with the 'ma' bit.

Professor Julian Pine
Yeah, exactly.

Michael Rosen
Or he may have thought it was 'my sminge' of course, that's the other thing.

Michael Rosen
Yes, I think I call them that!

The classic example of this is when children say 'nana' instead of 'banana'. A classic example of something means the best example of it, one containing all the features you expect such a thing to have. For example, ants are a classic example of animals working together.

Georgie
The second skill babies develop as they learn to speak is correctly linking a word to the object it refers to, in other words knowing what the word means. As adults we do this without thinking, but it's actually much harder than it sounds, as Professor Julian Pine explains to BBC Radio 4 programme, 'Word of Mouth'.

Professor Julian Pine
Well, we take for granted the fact that it's kind of obvious what words refer to in the environment, but actually if you look at it from the child's point of view, it's really difficult to work out what a word refers to because there's so many things it could refer to. So, you know, the speech signal is very ambiguous. How does the child know that you're talking about the cup in front of you, or the pen in front of you when you say 'pen' or 'cup'?

As adults, we take it for granted that when a friend says, "apple", they mean that round, red thing on the table. To take it for granted means to assume something without question. But for a baby, the link between the word 'apple' and the object is not obvious, it's ambiguous, meaning it has more than one possible meaning.

Georgie
Wow! Who knew so much was going on inside babies' sponge-like brains as they soak up the sounds they hear? Right, Phil, isn't it time to reveal the answer to your question?

Phil
It is indeed. The question was, at what age do babies start to make babbling noises?

Georgie
And I said it was around six months.

Phil
And that is the correct answer.

Georgie
Yay!

Phil
Bye!

Georgie
Bye!

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BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / How babies learn to talk

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What do babies need to learn to do to be able to talk?

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Rob and Neil talk about the origins and the language of this humble snack. Learn why it became popular during the Industrial Revolution and pick up some related vocabulary along the way.

This week's question

The British aren't the only fans of biscuits. So in which country are barazeks traditionally eaten?

a) Syria
b) Morocco
c) Spain

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary

dunking
dipping something, like a biscuit, into liquid for a short period of time

fit for consumption
edible or can be eaten

edible
can be eaten

sustenance
food

prominence
important or well-known

sugar rush
get a quick blast of energy

Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Neil Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

Neil
In this programme, we're talking about biscuits!

Rob
Biscuits - a subject very close to my heart - something important to me and that interests me.

Neil
I know, Rob. You are a biscuit connoisseur after all. And in the UK, many of us love to nibble on these sweet treats. And we have lots of names for them too.

Rob
Yes, we have the chocolate digestive, the garibaldi, the custard cream and the jammie dodger. It's making my mouth water.

I can see. But we're not going to be tucking into any biscuits today. Instead, we'll be looking at the origins and the language of this humble snack. And before we do that, Rob, let's test your knowledge of biscuits with a question. The British aren't the only fans of biscuits. So in which country are barazeks traditionally eaten? Is it in...
a) Syria,
b) Morocco, or
c) Spain?

Rob
Hmmm, well I have not eaten one, but I'll have a guess at Syria.

Neil
OK, I'll reveal the right answer later on. But now, let's talk more about biscuits, also sometimes known as cookies. They come in all shapes, sizes and varieties.

Neil
But enough about your eating habits, Rob. Let's find out how the biscuit got its name. It's something the BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth has been exploring. Dr Laura Wright, a historical linguist from the University of Cambridge, explains its origins...

So, the English word for biscuits has its origins in Latin. It describes cooking bread twice to make it hard. This baking process meant a biscuit could be kept for a long time, and as Dr Wright said, it would stay fit for consumption - another way of saying ' edible' or able to be eaten.

Rob
That's why they were taken on long sea voyages - but they weren't like the biscuits we eat now - they were plain, simple and very hard baked. Interestingly, the word biscuit used to be spelt B-I-S-K-E-T but the French spelling B-I-S-C-U-I-T was later adopted.

Rob
It's something Anastasia Edwards, author of Biscuits and Cookies, A Global History, talked about in the Word of Mouth programme. Listen to the word she uses to mean 'food' in her explanation...

Anastasia Edwards, author
One key fact in the rise in the popularity of the biscuit is meal times. Before the Industrial Revolution, people have a later breakfast and earlier supper. By the end of the Industrial Revolution, breakfast is much earlier, the evening meal is much later, so you've got this big gap of time where people need sustenance, and so lunch comes to greater prominence and tea time comes to greater prominence, and snacking - so there's this great opportunity for biscuits - something small, something ready, something easily consumable, not expensive, you know, a bit of a sugar rush.

So, this is when smaller meals, such as lunch or tea, became important or more well-known - it had greater prominence. And this included snacking on biscuits. These were cheap and easily consumable - easy and quick to eat. And because of their ingredients, they gave you a sugar rush - a quick blast of energy.

Neil
Of course, now, we eat biscuits at any time, and because of their sugar content, we know to only eat them in moderation - Rob!

Rob
I think a packet a day is fine - but a whole box, well, that would really take the biscuit!

Neil
Take the biscuit! Good idiom there, Rob, to mean 'be the most foolish, annoying or surprising thing to do'. But now let's find out the answer to my quiz question. Earlier, I asked which country are barazeks traditionally eaten in?

Neil
Yes, you were. Well done. You are a smart cookie!Barazeks are biscuits filled with roasted sesame seeds and pistachio chips.

Rob
They sound delicious. I would love to try some.

Describing something as being fit for consumption means it is edible - which is another one of our words and means 'it can be eaten'.

Sustenance is another word for food. And something that has prominence is important or more well-known.

Rob
Goodbye.

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BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / The language of biscuits

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Learn why this tasty snack became popular with the Industrial Revolution

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1st person

We can see this in the kind of errors that children make, because little kids will often call a giraffe a ‘raffe’ by leaving off the unstressed syllable because that's not typical English.

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I’m on seafood diet. I see food and I eat it. 

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Introduction

Can ginger shots, turmeric and cold water swimming boost your immune system? Georgie and Neil hear from experts and teach you some vocabulary.

This week's question

How many colds does the average adult get in the UK each year?

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

touch wood
an expression used in spoken English in order to avoid bad luck

snuffles/sniffles
minor illnesses that affect your nose

back me up
an expression used in conversation to ask someone to say something to support your opinion

tickety-boo
fine and in good order

dampen (something)
make something weaker

prone to (something)
likely to be negatively affected by something
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Georgie
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Georgie.

Neil
And I'm Neil. In this programme we're talking about the immune system, which is the body's natural defence against getting ill. Now, Georgie, is there anything you do to boost your immune system?

Georgie
Yes. I try to eat lots of oranges, which apparently have lots of vitamin C, and there are lots of things people do to try to improve their immune system, and stay healthier, like eating certain foods, taking vitamins, or even activities like swimming in cold water. We'll find out how useful some of these techniques are in today's programme.

Neil
But first, Georgie, a question. We all know the common cold - now, that's the illness that makes you cough and sneeze, have a sore throat and headache. But how many colds does the average adult get in the UK each year? Is it:

a) 2-3?
b) 4-5? Or
c) 7-8?

Georgie
Eight would be a lot. I'm going to go with a) 2-3 colds a year.

Neil
Well, we'll find out at the end of the programme if you're right. Now, many people can become ill over the winter with diseases like colds, flu and Covid-19. Host of BBC Radio 4 programme Inside Health, James Gallagher, gathered some experts to talk about immune systems, and he started off by asking whether they'd had more illnesses than usual this winter.

James Gallagher
Hello! [Hi.] Right, how has everyone been this winter? Because I've had a rotten one and I have felt constantly ill since about November. John?

James Gallagher
OK, let's see what I can infect you with by the end of the show. Margaret?

Doctor Margaret McCartney was unwell in September but has only had a few snuffles since. Snuffles is an informal word used to describe minor illnesses that affect your nose. We can also say sniffles.

Host James is surprised that nobody has been ill, and says to Professor Eleanor Riley ' back me up'. If you ask someone to back you up, you are asking for them to say something which supports your opinion.

Georgie
Throughout the winter, many people try different techniques, like taking supplements or eating certain foods to boost their immune system, to improve their body's natural defences against disease. Host of BBC Radio 4's Inside Health James Gallagher asks doctor Margaret McCartney whether some of these products are successful.

James Gallagher
OK quick-fire round Margaret. Echinacea?

Margaret McCartney
No.

James Gallagher
Turmeric?

Margaret McCartney
No.

James Gallagher
Ginger shots?

Margaret McCartney
No.

James Gallagher
This is a very, very good quiz! What about the stuff you squirt up your nose when you're at the beginning of an infection?

Margaret McCartney
Interesting, but not any better than normal saline spray - just salt water.

Neil
In fact, according to Margaret, there isn't enough evidence that many popular health products can actually change the way your immune system works.

Georgie
Another popular health trend in the UK is cold water swimming. People who swim in cold water say it's good for their mental health, and they also believe it makes them less likely to get ill during the winter months.

Neil
But scientists aren't sure about the benefits of cold water swimming for the immune system yet, as Professor John Tregoning explains to BBC Radio 4's Inside Health.

John Tregoning
The social element actually is really important. It probably is beneficial to do. You reduce stress and cortisol dampens the immune system, so actually if you're stressed then maybe you are more prone to infection. And that may be why that benefit of being with people, nice people that you like in nice places, is helping. But I don't think it's unique to cold water swimming. I think you could probably get it from dancing or singing or going for a run.

John says that cortisol, a chemical associated with stress, dampens the immune system. Here, dampens means makes weaker. We also have a common expression ' dampen someone's spirits' which means to make them less enthusiastic about something.

John says that there is evidence that people who are stressed are more prone to infection. If you're more prone to something, it's more likely to happen to you.

Georgie
It could be that cold water swimming reduces stress, and so it helps people's immune systems work well. But there are lots of other activities that could have the same effect, and help people have fewer colds over winter.

Neil
Which reminds me of my question, Georgie. I asked how many colds the average UK adult has a year.

Georgie
And I said 2-3.

Neil
And that is the correct answer, so well done!

Snuffles, or sniffles, are minor illnesses that affect your nose.

If you dampen something you make it weaker. And the expression dampen someone's spirits means you make them less enthusiastic about something.

Georgie
Once again our 6 minutes are up, but you can test what you've learned with the free interactive quiz on our website.

Neil
Bye for now.

Georgie
Goodbye!

Beth
Thanks for listening to this podcast from BBC Learning English. Continue your learning on our website with courses, quizzes and programmes to improve your English. Visit bbclearningenglish.com.

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BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Can we boost the immune system?

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Can ginger shots, turmeric and cold water swimming boost your immune system?

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Fingers down a blackboard, someone chewing, the scrape of a plate - there are lots of sounds people don't like. But for some people, it causes them huge distress. Neil and Phil discuss the medical condition called 'misophonia' and teach you some useful vocabulary.

This week's question

According to a recent survey by the American journal Medical News, which of the following did their readers find the most unpleasant sound?

a) bicycle brakes squeaking?
b) nails scraping a blackboard?
c) a baby crying?

Vocabulary

trigger
something that causes people to feel emotional distress or fear, often because they remind the person of a traumatic event in the past

fight-or-flight
natural human response to a stressful or dangerous situation that makes people either run away or stay to face the threat

innocuous
completely harmless

takes its toll
causes suffering, damage, or death

passed away
(polite expression) died

a shock to the system
a sudden and unpleasant change
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

Phil
And I'm Phil.

Neil
Ugh! What's that awful noise, Phil?!

Phil
Oh sorry, Neil, I was, er... biting my nails. I know, it's a bad habit.

Neil
Yuk! It sounds terrible!

Phil
Sorry, Neil. Actually, it's not only you who finds certain sounds irritating, unpleasant, or even unbearable. Whether it's someone biting their nails, rustling a crisp bag, or scraping a knife on a dinner plate, some everyday sounds have the power to make us angry or upset.

Neil
There's even a name for it: misophonia, also known as 'sound rage', and it's more common than you might think. According to some estimates, one person in five is affected emotionally by the coughing, slurping, sneezing and snorting sounds made by the people around them.

Phil
In this programme, we'll be finding out more about the medical condition misophonia, and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Neil
But first I have a question for you, Phil. According to a recent survey by the American journal Medical News which of the following did their readers find the most unpleasant sound?:

a) bicycle brakes squeaking?

b) nails scraping a blackboard? or,

c) a baby crying?

Phil
Hmm, I'll guess it was squeaky bicycle brakes.. I really hate that!

Phil
Olana Tansley-Hancock is a British clinical researcher who also suffers from misophonia. Here she explains some of her triggers to BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain:

Olana Tansley-Hancock
Just any kind of inescapable, repetitive noise will potentially cause a misophonic-type response in me, that fight-or-flight and yeah... it's that immediate, uncontrollable reaction that you get to the sound that is the most hard to explain and unusual I think, cos' in modern day you don't we get many instances where you get a fight-or-flight response - it's not like we're frequently chased down by wild animals - and then to feel those from pretty innocuous everyday sounds is the thing that takes its toll.

Certain sounds trigger a fight-or-flight response in Olana. Fight-or-flight refers to the way the human body responds to stressful or dangerous situations, either by physically running away, or staying to deal with the threat.

Phil
So what does it feel like to actually experience this kind of stress in everyday life? Here's Olana again, explaining her feelings to Ruth Alexander, presenter of BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain:

Olana Tansley-Hancock
Yeah.

Olana describes her misophonia as an uncontrollable and sudden emotional reaction, as if finding out that a loved one has passed away. Passed away is a polite, euphemistic way of saying 'died'. She also describes it as a shock to the system - a sudden and unpleasant change.

Phil
Fortunately, misophonia sufferers have developed some tricks to help. Playing background music can disguise the sound of people sipping and slurping their food; and clearly, honestly explaining what the condition is also helps people sympathise and understand.

But, of course, some sounds simply are disturbing - for example you biting your nails, Phil!

Phil
OK, OK, I said I was sorry... Maybe it's time to reveal the answer to your question, Neil, before you get more upset! You asked me which sound was voted the most irritating for readers of the journal, Medical News.

Neil
Bye!

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BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Sounds that make you want to scream

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Are there any sounds you find upsetting?

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The second skill babies develop as they learn to speak is correctly linking a word to the object it refers to, ...

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Cakes, chocolate and crisps! Comfort food refers to snacks and meals we like to stuff our faces with, even if it's not always good for us. Neil and Rob talk about comfort food and what actually makes us eat it.

This week's question

Patrick Bertoletti from the USA holds the Guinness World Record for eating the most cream-filled biscuits in one minute. How many biscuits did he eat? Was it...

a) 2?

b) 7?

c) 15?

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary

comforter
something that makes us feel relaxed and feel good.

culinary
connected to cooking

associated
made a connection in our mind with something

irrelevant
not important or has no connection with the discussion taking place

nuanced
small but important differences

take comfort
don't feel so bad (because of something else)

Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

Neil
I see you've been tucking into the biscuits again, Rob.

Rob
Well, I have, Neil. You can't beat a bite on a biscuit for a quick and easy sweet treat. They make me feel good - as long as I don't eat too many!

Rob
Yes, like biscuits - comfort food is snacks and meals we like to stuff our faces with, even if it's not always good for us. We'll be discussing what actually makes us eat the stuff.

Neil
But how about a question to feast on, Rob? Patrick Bertoletti from the USA holds the Guinness World Record for eating the most cream-filled biscuits in one minute, but do you know how many biscuits he ate? Was it...

Rob
Well, based on my biscuit-eating skills, I'd say 15 - it depends if he had to swallow them all as well.

Neil
I'm not sure about that - but I'll reveal the answer later on. Now, biscuits, ice cream, crisps and pizzas are all good examples of comfort food. They're easy to snack on and they don't require many culinary skills - culinary means related to cooking.

Rob
Umm, well that makes sense, but there must be something else that is urging us to seek out this 'easy' food?

Neil
According to psychologist Shira Gabriel, it's about memories and emotional experiences. She spoke on The Food Chain podcast on BBC World Service and said her comfort food was macaroni and cheese - something that brings back memories...

Shira Gabriel, psychologist
At some point in my life those were foods that were made for me or shared with me by people who cared about me and loved me and took care of me, so because those are the foods that I had in my youth, I've associated with them, sort of, those feelings of being taken care of. And those associations are strong, the associations we have with food are very strong, and so by eating those foods, I'm able to activate those associations and give myself a rush of positive feelings and a sense of acceptance.

Neil
... so like so many of us, Shira associates eating certain types of food with past experiences from her youth. Associates means makes a connection in your mind with something.

Rob
And these connections between food and memories are very strong. I know eating biscuits reminds me of eating them after school, as a treat.

Rob
And it's not just memories that are activated, but also the emotions we feel as well. If we felt happy the first time we ate the food, then hopefully we'll feel happy when we eat it again.

Neil
It's not always that simple, Rob. Tucking into food that's high in carbohydrates, sugar or salt can make us feel guilty, but we don't realise our minds are trying to trigger - or start - a positive emotion, and it's making us eat that food to do so.

Rob
The Food Chain podcast explores this in more detail - but what is interesting is that comfort food isn't universal. Some languages don't have a comparable phrase.

Neil
It's a good point and something food writer Jenny Linford talked about. Here's her theory on why that is...

Jenny Linford, food writer
Talking to Italian friends, I realised that, no, they don't have a phrase for 'comfort food' - I think it's sort of irrelevant.... My Italian friends I asked about comfort food, they were just, they said to me, look you know, food is always comfort and always pleasure and it's a joyful thing, so it's just really interesting that you know this idea of comfort food is not universal, it's actually quite nuanced.

Rob
So, according to Jenny's Italian friends, all food brings comfort and pleasure. Talking about specific comforting food is irrelevant - it is not important or has no connection with the discussion.

Neil
Are you trying to beat the record of Patrick Bertoletti from the USA? Earlier I mentioned he holds the Guinness World Record for eating the most cream-filled biscuits in one minute, but how many biscuits did he eat? Was it...
a) 2
b) 7, or
c) 15?

Rob
I thought he ate 15. Was I right?

Neil
No, Rob. He scoffed only 7 in one minute. So maybe you can beat him? But before you do, let's recap on some of the vocabulary we've been discussing.

Rob
Well, Neil, we're out of time but let's take comfort in knowing that there are lots more 6 Minute English programmes to enjoy on our website at bbclearningenglish.com.

Neil
We also have an app that you can download for free from the app stores. And of course, we are all over social media.

Rob
Thanks for listening and goodbye.

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BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Comfort Food

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Hear about comfort food and why we eat it

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We love and care for our pets. But do they care about us in return? Do they know when their human owners feel afraid or in danger. Do animals know, or care, about human feelings? Neil and Sam talk about cats and dogs and teach you related vocabulary.

This week's question

'Lassie' wasn't the only TV show to feature a boy and his pet companion. A similar show, Skippy, was set in Australia - but what type of animal was the star?

a) a rabbit

b) a frog

c) a kangaroo

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary

domesticated
describes animals which are under human control and live closely with people, for example pets, working animals and farm animals

anthropomorphize
treat an animal as if it were human in appearance or behaviour

feign
pretend to have a particular problem or emotion

agony
extreme physical pain

distress
strong feeling of worry, sadness or pain

grooming
the way some animals clean themselves using their tongue or paws

Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Sam
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Sam.

Neil
And I'm Neil. Sam, do you remember an old children's television show called, 'Lassie'?

Sam
Yes, I grew up watching the adventures of schoolboy, Timmy, and his pet dog, a collie named Lassie. Whenever Timmy got lost or into trouble, Lassie sensed danger and came to the rescue.

Neil
If you believe shows like 'Lassie', pets know when their human owners feel afraid or in danger. But in real life do animals know, or care, about human feelings?

Sam
Now, Neil, obviously we're not talking about wild animals, right?

Sam
So, what about dogs like our friend, Lassie? Do you think they can sense human feelings?

Sam
In cartoons, Micky Mouse can talk and Donald Duck dances and sings, but we know mice and ducks don't really do that in nature.

Neil
Exactly. But recently, new research has suggested that sometimes pets do respond to their owner's feelings.

OK. Well, before we find out more, I have a quiz question for you, Neil. 'Lassie' wasn't the only TV show to feature a boy and his pet companion. A similar show, Skippy, was set in Australia - but what type of animal was the star? Was Skippy:
a) a rabbit?
b) a frog? or
c) a kangaroo?

Neil
Well, if Skippy was Australian, I'll guess he's c) a kangaroo.

Sam
OK, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme. Now, Neil, earlier you mentioned that because animals can't speak, it's difficult to know their feelings about us.

Neil
Difficult, yes... but not impossible. Recently, anthrozoologist Dr Karen Hiestand, designed an experiment to test whether our pets really do care about us. She filmed pet owners pretending to be hurt and observed the reactions of their dogs and cats.

Sam
Here's Adrian Washbourne, producer for BBC World Service programme, Health Check, pretending to hurt his leg at home, where he lives with his two pets, a cat and a dog.

Adrian Washbourne
And now I'm going to fake an injury, and we'll see how they respond. Ouch! Ow! Well, the tail wagging has got a bit more, there's a bit of a yawn. I don't think they were particularly sensitive or bothered that I was squealing around the floor in agony, holding my leg up in the air, trying to feign an injury. Meanwhile the cat, who's on the windowsill, is looking at me with wide eyes.

Adrian didn't really hurt his leg - he feigned, or pretended, to be hurt. He pretended to be in agony - extreme physical pain, to see what his pets would do.

Sam
Adrian's dog wagged his tail and gave a yawn. The cat, meanwhile, just looked at him with wide eyes... Little evidence of pets showing care or concern there, you might think. But, according to Dr Hiestand, the animals' behaviour makes perfect sense when you remember where they came from. Dogs are descended from ancient breeds of wolves - very social animals who live together in packs, so it makes sense that a dog would sniff and come closer to investigate what was happening.

Neil
Cats, on the other hand, are solitary creatures, descended from wild cats who lived and hunted alone. Dr Hiestand thinks this explains the reaction of Adrian's cat, as she told BBC World Service programme, Health Check:

Dr Karen Hiestand
What we're seeing typically is cats staying much more still... that they're looking and looking at their owner, so they're definitely paying their owner an awful lot of attention when they're displaying a negative distress emotion, comparing to during the control procedure where they're just doing cat things - walking around, grooming ... that kind of thing.

Sam
The experiment confirms the idea we have of cats being cold and antisocial.

Neil
And of dogs being our best friend. But according to Dr Hiestand's findings, cats also feel human distress - they just show it in a different way.

Sam
Well, if the experiment included Lassie, he'd probably phone the emergency services, then make Adrian a cup of tea!

Neil
Ha! And what about, Skippy?

Sam
Ah yes, in my quiz question I asked Neil about the Australian TV star, Skippy.

Neil
I guessed that he was c) a kangaroo.

Sam
That's all the time we have for this programme. Bye for now!

Neil
Goodbye!

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BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Do our pets care about us?

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We love and care for our pets. But do they care about us in return? Do they know when their human owners feel afraid or in danger. Do animals know, or care, about human feelings? Neil and Sam talk about cats and dogs and teach you related vocabulary.

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You can't be broke if you don't check your bank account.

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1st person

Well, Phil, I'm no expert, but I imagine they watch the adults around them and kind of copy and imitate what they do.

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He saw us feeding the ducks, so he pretended to be one. 

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And on the subject of words, remember you can find a list of this programme’s vocabulary on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

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They can see this in the kinds of errors that children make, because little kids will often...

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You can see this in the kinds of errors that children make, because little kids will often...

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2nd person -> 1st person

And on the subject of words, we remember you can find a list of this programme’s vocabulary on our website,...

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3rd person -> 1st person

The second skill we as babies develop when we learn to speak is correctly linking a word to the object it refers to, ...