In this episode, we talk with Gedun Rabsal, a Senior Lecturer in the Tibetan language in the Department of Central Asian Studies at Indiana University. Rabsal tells us about this fascinating and ancient language spoken throughout Central Asia and East Asia.

In this episode, we talk with Ardasher (Sher) Khashimov, a Graduate Student in IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) where he is currently a Master of Public Affairs candidate specializing in Policy Analysis and Energy. Sher tells us about Tajiki, an Iranian language spoken in Tajikistan.

In this episode, we meet Esra Ibil, a Graduate Student in IU’s School of Education where she is studying curriculum and instruction with a special interest in elementary education. Esra will tell us about Turkish, the Turkic language spoken in Turkey and other parts of Central Asia.

In this episode, we talk with Assem Sagi (Izmukhanova), the Kazakh Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant here at Indiana University. Assem tells us about Kazakh, a Turkic language spoken in Kazakhstan, in the Northern part of Central Asia.

Dr. Rahman Arman returns to teach us about the Dari language, spoken in Afghanistan. He reads us an original poem about Navruz and tells us more about the holiday and it’s traditions.

In this episode, we talk with Mustafa Aksu, a graduate student studying language policy and linguistics. Mustafa tells us about his native language Uyghur, a Turkic language spoken in Central Asia and Western China.

In this episode, we meet Tserenchunt Legden, Senior Language Instructor of Mongolian at Indiana University. Tserenchunt tells us about Mongolian’s and the deep love they have for their homeland, Mongolia. She reads us a poem about famous Mongolian warrior Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan), a poem about the Mongolian homeland, and sings a song about the character of youth.

In this episode, we meet with Mustafa Durmaz and Tahirhan Aydin, two Kurds who to talk about Kurmanji Kurdish, a dialect of Kurdish spoken in southeast Turkey, northwest and northeast Iran, northern Iraq and northern Syria. Mustafa will sing us a Kurdish love song in honor of Valentine’s Day.

This episode will explore Kyrgyz, a Turkic language spoken mostly in Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous country in the heart of Central Asia. Our guest, Dinara Abakirova, will recite a portion of the Epic of Manas, a traditional epic poem passed down orally over centuries in Kyrgyzstan.

Learn about Pashto, an Iranian language spoken in Afghanistan and NW Pakistan, from our guest, Dr. Rahman Arman. Dr. Arman will read an original poem and teach us phrases in Pashto as well as explain the basics of Pashtun culture.