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, we’re talking Reunionese Creole - that’s the creole language spoken on the island of Reunion - with Nelsy of Yseuln Abroad.

In this episode, Nelsy the world traveler tells us about language and culture more close to home on Reunion. We talk about how French and Creole are used and the generational differences that occur when speaking the Creole. She tells us some expressions spoken by older people that haven’t made their way to the  younger generation and she even teaches us some basic creole phrases. Nelsy talks about understanding the way a Creole language is structured and how this can factor into understanding Creoles of the Caribbean. We also talk about dialects, food and diversity on Reunion and if there are any linguists out there, we are asking a big question about the relationship between Creole languages. Nelsy tells us what we can look forward to when we visit Reunion- from the food to the diversity and community of people on the island.

Thank you Nelsy for this conversation about Reunionese Creole and for sharing a part of your 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! Thank you to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Linnea H. and Pat N. 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 in the show notes! 

To find Nelsy: 

Website: https://yseuln.com/

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

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Buy my book, Taste Buds Vol 1., on Lulu.com  here

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 Tamil with Aysha from Tamil for Kids.

In this episode, we talk about Tamil as it’s spoken in Singapore, where Aysha is from, and in Tamil Nadu in India. We talk about similarities between Malayalam and Tamil and how, through films and pop culture, she has been able to understand and communicate in basic Hindi. We discuss formal and spoken Tamil and the ways in which they differ and the Tamil grammar and alphabet including borrowings from Sanskrit. There’s also a moment here where Aysha is reading something I’m holding up in Tamil and if you want to see what we’re talking about, you can see images on my social media or my website to follow along. Aysha and I talk about

how clothing plays a part in strengthening familial bonds and linking generations, multilingualism in India and she tells us how she’s helping kids to learn Tamil in Singapore and beyond with Tamil for Kids.

Big thank you to Aysha for this fun conversation full of Tamil language, culture and laughs! 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! Ok! Let's chat!

To find Aysha:

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

Website: https://tamil-for-kids.com/

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

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Buy my book here

Speaking Tongues Podcast is independently produced and thus far a labor of love. My dream is to continue to produce this show independently and I hope to raise enough money to be able to do so. 

If you enjoy episodes of this show, which has become my livelihood, please consider pledging financial support through Buy me a Coffee. Link below!

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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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 ongoing monthly support. Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/speakingtonguespodcast

Buy my book here

Hello language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week we are one conversation away from 100 episodes and in Episode 99, we are talking about the Thai language and culture with Grace.

Grace is a Thai teacher, polyglot, traveler and YouTuber based in Bangkok. In this episode we talk about Thai grammar  including the alphabet and its 72 letters! We get a lot of practice with tonality in the Thai language and understand how and when to use polite particles. We talk about similarities that Thai has to Chinese and the 5 distinct tones that are found in Thai. Grace tells us about dialects and changing accents throughout the country, some big do’s and don’ts that people visiting should consider, how she learned Thai boxing in Brazil and her words of warning when it comes to eating Thai cuisine.

Big thank you to Grace for this conversation and for sharing bits of Thai language and culture with 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! Ok! Let's chat!

To Find Grace

Thai with Grace : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtxPNb4l4rf4msU-oD-Abqg

Polyglot Grace : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8CAEKDnWEamcYMJXpNecg

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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Hello language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week I’m thrilled to share this conversation with Kimhia and Indira of Twossaints about their language of Saint Lucian Creole.

Kimhia and Indira talk about the development and influences that have shaped Saint Lucian Creole including grammar structures that have origins in Mandinka and Wolof. We talk about the history of Culture Day in Saint Lucia and the significance of madras. We talk about the grammar of the language and how it’s structured and we actually get some practice of the creole language. We talk about understanding French through Creole and the variations with other Caribbean Creoles, especially Haitian Creole. Kimhia and Indira tell us about their language academy and the importance of passing on the creole tradition as well as finding room to create new words in Creole. Diversions include: Code switching and accents, St. Lucian music, and what we can look forward to experiencing when we visit the island!

Big thank you to Kimhia and Indira for this conversation and for sharing the language and culture of your lovely island 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! 

To Find Twossaints:

Website: https://twossaints.com/

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

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost

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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

Hello language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week I’m delighted to share this conversation with Marcus where we talked about one of his languages, Singlish!

I’ve been very curious about Singaporean culture and language for a long time now and I’m so happy that Marcus had time to share a bit of his culture with me and all of us. In this episode, we talk about the languages of Singapore and how they mingle and coexist. We talk about the education system and which languages kids learn, code switching and even the various types of Singlish that can be heard in Singapore. Marcus talks about the Good English movement that started in the 2000’s by discouraging Singlish but how it has evolved and changed over time. He teaches us some Singlish phrases and words and we even have a slight diversion about the meaning of annual leave, the versatility of the word “ can” and how abbreviations play a big role in Singaporean vernacular.

Big thank you to Marcus for this lovely conversation and sharing 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! Ok! Let's chat!

To Find Marcus

Instagram: @goodsinglish

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

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

Hello language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week, we are talking about Italian with Elfin of All Things Italian.

In this episode, Elfin tells us about learning to speak Italian as a child when her family moved to Italy from America. We talk about identity and figuring out one’s place in between two different cultures. Elfin talks about the expectations vs the reality of life in Italy and how she found a way to fall in love with the country after a period of disillusionment. She tells us about the importance of learning a language for pleasure and how Italian can be useful for this purpose. She gives us a tip for learning the Italian language and even tells us how she has been able to inspire her students through travel and prompts which help them bring Italy closer into their lives.

Big thank you to Elfin for sharing this insightful look at Italian language and culture with 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! Ok! Let's chat!

To find Elfin:

Website: https://allaboutitalian.com/

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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Hello language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week I am joined in conversation by Sagal, the host of Memnoire podcast to talk about her language of Somali.

Sagal was so much fun to talk to and I had a ton to learn from her. In this conversation we talked about identity with language and how much it matters for language learners of color to see representations of themselves out in the world. We talk about French stereotypes and diversity in France & connecting to Somali culture in London. Sagal tells us about growing up in a Somali speaking home while learning English out in the world. She tells us a story about traveling to see her grandmother and being able to communicate with her in Somali and we even talk about Somali grammar and orthography! We talk about Somali representation in London including the one time of year where you’re likely to run into some big Somali celebrations!

Big thank you to Sagal for sharing parts of your language and culture with 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! Ok! Let's chat!

To find Memnoire podcast

Website: memnoire.com

Instagram: @memnoirethepodcast

Listen: https://open.spotify.com/show/1MRG2LpHh0fHTMLq6WVn2H

Speaking Tongues Podcast:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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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

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week, I’m honored to be joined by Dr. Mennat-allah El Dorry, an egyptologist and archaeobotanist to talk not only about her language of Egyptian Arabic but also about foods in egypt, past and present.

In this episode, Menna tells us which ancient and living languages are important to her work. We talk about the influences from Ancient Egyptian languages that we can hear in Modern Egyptian Arabic today and how certain grammatical elements from Coptic are heard in the Egyptian dialect. We talk about Arabic as it’s spoken in Cairo and the Cairene dialect while Menna tells us about the prevalence of the Egyptian dialect and why it is so understood by Arabic speakers all over. When it comes to food, Menna talks about how we know what Ancient Egyptians ate, and how egyptologists are able to understand Ancient cooking methods. We talk about changing food palettes and food choices, how Egyptian food varies all over the country and why it’s important to consider the past when we are consuming modern Egyptian cuisine.

Huge thank you to Menna for this conversation and for sharing your work, culture and language 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! Ok! Let's chat!

To Find Menna:

Instagram @eatlikeanegyptian

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Speaking Tongues Podcast:

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Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week, I bring you episode 93 and a lovely chat with Mauricio who joins me to talk about his language of Latin American Spanish. We’ve covered Spanish as it’s spoken in a few different countries but since Mauricio is quite the traveler and has lived in several places, we’re talking about the broad topic which is Spanish as it’s spoken in Central & South America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

In this episode, Mauricio tells us about his upbringing between Argentina and Peru. We talk about some of the variations that exist in Spanish including the three geographical “blocks” that share similarities and why Chile and Argentina can be considered outliers to the rest. We talk about the uniqueness of Chilean Spanish and Mauricio gives us some examples for us to hear these variations. He tells us about his career translating for media - including movies and television- and explains some of the changes that technology has made in the field of translations over the course of his career. We also have a chance to learn about some of the things he’s observed about Spanish spoken in the U.S. during this time traveling throughout the country.

Big thank you to Mauricio for this fun conversation and taking us on a journey through Latin America. If you enjoy this episode 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! And, If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now support the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com. Patreon extras are coming soon! Links to all platforms are in the show notes! Ok! Let's chat!

To Find Mauricio:

Instagram @babelsolutions

Website: https://babelsolutions.org/en/home-2/

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