Speaking Tongues is a podcast dedicated to celebrating language and culture from around the world. We’re in our 4th year of conversations and this present season has been nothing short of magical.
One thing I frequently discuss on the podcast is how language learning is often treated as just another school subject rather than a valuable life skill. For many of us, particularly in the U.S. and likely in other English-speaking countries, language classes are compulsory early in our education. Yet, outside the classroom, we rarely speak, read, or listen to the languages we learn. It’s an interesting dynamic leading us to compartmentalizing language learning as merely a subject that earns us a grade and helps us move on to the next academic level.
I don’t remember feeling particularly inspired by my 6th-grade Spanish class, which was my first formal introduction to a second language. To be fair, 6th grade was a challenging time — our 11 year old social dynamics were shifting with many typically docile and demure “Dr. Jekyll”- like classmates morphing into rowdy and rambunctious “Mr. Hyde”-like characters. An already terrifying and confusing time in many of our academic lives, Spanish proficiency was the last thing on my mind.
Believe it or not, growing up in New York City at that age, I couldn’t connect the Spanish I was learning in class with the Spanish spoken by my neighbors. Our teachers did little to ignite our imaginations about what we could achieve by expressing ourselves in another language. My life was entirely monolingual, except for the 45 minutes each day we spent memorizing vocabulary words from a chalkboard. Learning isolated words was one thing, but imagining a life where one could thrive in a newly learned language was inconceivable to me back then.
Celebrating South Asian Languages
In Episode 146 of Speaking Tongues, we dive into this topic with Joshua Arvind, who shares his experience with several languages, especially Kannada, the language of his home state in India. Kannada, spoken by millions in Karnataka, is just one of many languages contributing to India’s incredible linguistic diversity. Joshua’s story is a powerful testament to the transformative impact of language learning on one’s life and career. Raised in South India, he was immersed in a rich linguistic environment from a young age, with parents who spoke Tamil and Malayalam while also exposing him to Kannada and English. This multilingual upbringing sparked Joshua’s passion for languages, which has become a crucial asset in his professional and personal life.
Joshua’s linguistic journey goes beyond simply learning new languages; it’s about building connections with diverse cultures and communities. One of the episode’s highlights is his fascination with Urdu calligraphy, which began when a repairman wrote Joshua’s name in Urdu, igniting a lifelong passion. During the pandemic, he taught himself to read and write Urdu using transliterations in an Urdu Bible.
Our conversation also delves into the cultural nuances of life in Karnataka, a state known for its linguistic diversity. Joshua shares stories about how Kannada is spoken differently in North and South Karnataka, the influence of Urdu in the region, and the unique ways communities express themselves. He paints an evocative picture of his homeland’s linguistic landscape, from the rustic humor of North Karnataka to the more refined speech found in the South.
Today, Joshua stays connected to his roots through the South Asian community in Paris, where he now lives. He describes how he blends his Indian and Parisian lifestyles, often hosting spontaneous gatherings and cooking South Indian meals for his neighbors. His efforts to foster community and cultural exchange in his new home demonstrate that language is not just a communication tool but a bridge that connects us to diverse worlds and experiences.
A Little Note on Language
Reflecting on Joshua’s journey, my 11-year-old self would be thrilled to see someone use language so vibrantly in the world—nurturing it, growing with it, and making it a fundamental part of daily life. Growing up in a multilingual environment undoubtedly helps people understand the power of language in connecting across cultures.
I’m constantly amazed at how Italian remains such a significant part of my life today. Even though I haven’t visited Italy in years, I keep the language close through Italian pop music, like Elodie’s songs, and through films from the 1960’s starring Marcello Mastroianni. My recent inspiration to revisit Italian came from watching the limited series “Ripley” over the summer. As a fan of the 90s film with Matt Damon and Patricia Highsmith’s original novel, I decided to watch it after a friend’s recommendation. I loved the black-and-white cinematography and that much of the dialogue was in Italian. As the series progressed, I found myself understanding more and more without relying on subtitles—a reminder of the joy and fulfillment that comes with living in the Italian language.
I am working on vlogging my progress in Italian so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, my YouTube page has audio of over 100 conversations about language similar to this episode with Joshua.
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