Speaking Tongues Podcast: Celebrating Voices, Stories, and Flavors From Around the Globe

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week I’m talking to Elysse DaVega about learning and speaking Turkish. This episode was recorded before the devastating earthquake that affected Türkiye and Syria and that’s why you won’t hear us mention this current event during this conversation.

But here’s what you will hear in this conversation. Elysse tells us about the methods she used to learn Spanish and why she might not recommend others to learn this way (even though I think it’s brilliant). She tells us about how her interest in Turkish grew through her study of German language and her travels through Germany. Elysse helps us break down some Turkish grammar and how she used the ladder method to learn Turkish through German. She tells us about her time traveling in Türkiye – including how she was able to do it, what it was like communicating in Türkiye and some of the things she’s looking forward to experiencing on her next trip there. 

Bg thank you to Elysse for this conversation and talking to us about your language journey with the Turkish language.  If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. For just $5 per month, you will have access to excerpts of this conversation that did not make it to the full published episode.  And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below!

To find Elysse: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elyssespeaks

IG: https://www.instagram.com/elyssedavega/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/elyssedavega

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals.This week my guest Shana Infofuentes joins me to talk about her languages of Aymara, Quechua & Bolivian Spanish.

In this episode we talk about so much more than just the languages of the region, as Shana tells her story of being part of the largest Quechuan and the largest Bolivian community in the U.S. located in the Washington D.C. area. We talk about the special bond she had with her grandmother that forged a deep connection with Quechua & Aymara. We learn about the influences of indigenous languages on the syntax of Bolivian and Andean Spanish and how we hear these three languages being used in the city of La Paz. Shana and I share a moment of reflection on identity and the nature of anchoring oneself in a new reality and we talk about how the younger generation views their indigenous language and practices. Shana is the founder of The Quechua Project, which she tells us all about in this episode and why having a community organization like this is of utmost importance to the diaspora.

Big thank you to Shana for sharing your language and culture with all of us. Be sure to click the links in the show notes to find information on how to donate to Shana’s upcoming documentary that we discussed in the episode.  If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. For just $5 per month, you will have access to excerpts of this conversation that did not make it to the full published episode.  And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below! 

To find Shana: 

Website: www.shanainofuentes.com

Quechua Project: https://quechuaproject.com/

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week we’re having a conversation with Ana and Nick about Bialsma & Nafsan - two languages of Vanuatu.

Ana Krajinovic (Kra-yee-novich) & Nick Thieberger (Tee-berger) joined me in what I liked to call a 360 episode - Me being in NYC, Ana in Germany and Nick in Australia - how cool is that? In this episode, we talked about their work as linguists in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. We learn how the Bislama language came to be named, how Bislama and Nafsan are constructed and how they are used among the 130 languages spoken by Ni-Vans in Vanuatu. Ana & Nick tell us about how they each came to studying these languages through their field work and Ana tells us some details about the specific grammar function that she focused on for her PhD. We even learn a linguistic similarity between Nafsan and Croatian. Who knew! Along the way, we also talk about changes in Nafsan and Bislama over generations, the culture of storytelling and concepts of self sufficiency in Vanuatu.

Thank you to Ana and Nick for sharing bits of your research and field work with all of us.  If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. For just $5 per month, you will have access to excerpts of this conversation that did not make it to the full published episode.  And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below! Ok, Let’s chat!

To Find Ana

https://anakrajinovic.com/

https://anakrajinovic.medium.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@anakrajinovic

To Find Nick

https://nthieberger.net/

https://www.paradisec.org.au/blog/

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. We are back this week after an extended hiatus with Urmi to talk about her languages of Bengali and Italian.

In this episode, Urmi talks with us about growing up between two cultures and languages — being of Bengali heritage while growing up in Italy. She tells us about being among the first Bengali families living in Sicily and observing the growth of the community over the years. We talk about using both of these languages on a daily basis and the challenges that came with blending Bengali and Italian culture. Urmi talks with us about being a “third-culture kid” and how this term resonates in her life. She tells us about her passions of empowering others in exploring their cross-cultural identities and she even tells us about how life in Montreal allows her to use her languages and express her culture in new ways. We also have a moment to talk about food and just a side note, if you want to hear more conversations about food that are usually not included in these episodes, head on over to my Patreon where you can find segments just like this about food from around the world.

Thank you to Urmi for sharing bits of your languages and culture with all of us.  If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below!

To find Urmi:

Book: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B75X14G7/ref=sr_1_2?crid=38ODHSOSYZ3W8&keywords=urmi+hossain&qid=1658373403&sprefix=urmi+hossain%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-2

Blog- https://www.myways.ca/

Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZoiI0SGU0Xo9_lNjtLWtgg

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals.  This week, I’m joined by Diane and Epée, architects and coauthors of The African Dwelling: From Traditional to Western Style Homes about their languages of Duala and Abo.

Diane and Epée are both polyglots with many languages spoken between them and this was an exciting conversation for me to hear them switch so effortlessly between several of them. In this episode Epée explains naming traditions in Duala and how he was given his names - and several other names he has been called throughout his life. We learn the similarities and differences between Duala and Abo which other language Abo has more in common with. We learn about the grammar of Duala and even how communication happens using the slit drum and whistles – and why these practices are fading. We learn about cultural celebrations taking place on a disappearing island, we explore Camfranglais and Cameroonian Pidgin and the beauty of the dynamic musical genre of Makossa. Stay tuned to hear about what happened with Diane met Manu Dibango and to get a lesson in Duala tonality at the end of this episode.

Big thank you to Diane and Epée for this conversation and for your work in documenting Duala language and African vernacular architecture. If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below! Ok, Let’s chat!

To Purchase The African Dwelling: From Traditional to Western Style Homes

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/African-Dwelling-Traditional-Western-Style/dp/1476673802

McFarland Books: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-african-dwelling/

Find Diane on Medium here

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week I’m happy to bring you all this conversation with Dalila about her Sardinian language.

In this episode, Dalila tells us about the language and its influences from Catalan and Spanish. We talk about the grammar of Sardinian, how it differs from Italian and what it has in common with English. Dalila talks about the differences between Sardinian spoken in the North and in the south of Sardinia and how micro regions of Sardinia have linguistic variations in pronunciation. We talk about the Sardinian literary tradition and how Dalila has spent time finding and uncovering the works of women in Sardinian poetry. We also find out about some of the other minority languages in Sardinia which yours truly learned about for the very first time.

Thank you so much Dalila for sharing so much of your language and culture with all of us. If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below! Ok, Let’s chat!

To Find Dalila

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dalila_manca/

https://linktr.ee/DalilaManca

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week, I’m so happy to share this conversation with Kwi and Daniel about the Nahuatl language.

In this episode, we start with a land acknowledgement and call to action to support indigenous communities. Kwi and Daniel talk with us about how they each grew up with the Nahuatl language and how they have learned more about their cultures growing up. We talk about the construction of Nahuatl and variants within the language. We talk about the evolution of the language through generations and through the influence of colonial Spanish language in Mexico. Kwi and Daniel tell us about community based efforts to reinforce Nahuatl language and culture and how we can respectfully engage with the community.

Thank you again to Kwi and Daniel for sharing your language and heritage with all of us. If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Linnea H. , Pat N. and Yari A. If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below! Ok, Let’s chat!

To Find Speak Nahuatl:

https://linktr.ee/speaknahuatl

http://tlahtoltapazolli.com/

https://speaknahuatl.com/

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week, I’m so happy to share this conversation with Khawar, the founder of Somos, about his heritage languages of Punjabi and Urdu.

Now, Somos is a startup which provides affordable language education and supports language teachers, by allowing them to earn a living from their wages. In this episode, Khawar tells us about his heritage and lineage from India, through Kenya and into the UK. He talks about growing up hearing these two languages peppered with Swahili words. We talk about the relationships between Punjabi and Urdu spoken at home and how identity and language are affected in a country like England. He tells us about coming from a big family,  his special connection with his grandmother and shares some of the lessons he learned from her and their connection through food. We talk about the inspiration in building Somos and how reflecting on racial strife in London and his own heritage and community has impacted the work he does now.

Thank you Khawar for this terrific conversation and for sharing your story and culture with all of us. If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Linnea H. , Pat N. and Yari A. If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below! Ok, Let’s chat!

To Find Somos:

Website: https://somos.education/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_somosgram/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somoseducation

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/somos-education/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_somostweets

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week we’re talking about all things Finnish with Saga of Finnish Learning on Instagram.

I had a lot to learn about Finland and I was so happy that Saga and I had such a fun conversation. In this episode, we learn what the word Suomi means and when it is used. Saga tells us about the grammar, pronoun usage and cases in Finnish and we learn about the agglutinative nature of the language. We share some ideas about why some people may consider Finnish to be a difficult language and Saga tells us some of the differences between the written and spoken language. We talk about the similarities between Finnish and Estonian, regional variances of Finnish and the unique nature of Finnish spoken in Helsinki. Saga tells us about Christmas in Finland and we learn many, many things about the tradition of Sauna! Make sure you listen to find out which Finnish tradition may help you to find your future spouse. And of course, if you try it, let me know if it worked!

Big thank you to Saga for this fun conversation and for sharing bits of your language and culture with all of us. If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below! Ok, Let’s chat!

To Find Saga:

Instagram @finnishlearning

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Like our Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speakingtongues

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week, let me tell you… I’m honored to have this discussion about Kabuverdianu with Jon of Learn Kabuverdianu and Cabo Verdean Linguist Adeleide Monteiro.

In this week’s episode, we are learning how Cabo Verde and Kabuverdianu grew together. We learn the exact city where the language originated and why we use the term “kabuverdianu” when talking about criolu. Jon & Adelaide talk to us about the structure of the language including why it’s important to include the subject and how this structure differs from Portuguese. Adelaide tells us about West African languages that have influenced the structure and how linguists today are using technology to gather information on Kabuverdianu in real time. Adelaide tells us about Portuguese creoles from other countries that can be understood by Cabo Verdeans and Jon tells us about food and music to experience in Cabo Verde- which I myself cannot wait to partake in in person. Stay tuned through the episode to find out which word that yours truly already knew in Kabuverdianu and why I know this word (spoiler alert: there is singing involved!)

Gigantic over land and sea thanks to Jon & Adelaide for this conversation and for sharing the beauty and majesty of Cabo Verde - its language, culture, traditions and people with all of us.

If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below!

To Find Learn Kabuverdianu & Adelaide Monteiro

Website https://learnkabuverdianu.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/learnkabuverdianu/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnKabuverdianu/?view_public_for=169947066967818&_rdc=1&_rdr

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LearnKabuverdianu/featured

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6tGZuWfQfe4JUO0wU3bbWv?si=07d214b214384b49&nd=1

Adelaide Monteiro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc4sPrBlSAE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2iIca-td_s&t=2s

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

IG: @speakingtonguespod

Twitter: @stpodcasthost

Facebook: @speakingtonguespod

Subscribe on YouTube

Did you enjoy this episode? Support Speaking Tongues on Buy me a Coffee

Pledge on-going monthly support. Join my Patreon

Buy my book here