Hello Language Lovers and thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues. Today, we’re talking about a language that I have really wanted to feature on the show for a long time! Gara is joining us from Tenerife to talk about Silbo Canario and Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands. With a deep passion for preserving and promoting the unique linguistic heritage of her homeland, Gara brings a wealth of knowledge and firsthand experience to our conversation.

Gara shares her knowledge about how this form of whistled communication varies across different parts of the Canary Islands and even draws connections to similar practices in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. We uncover how whistled language conveys information over vast distances and how it was nearly lost to a recent generation who stopped whistling due to economic changes. 

In this episode, Gara shows us how to whistle and the postures and placements that we use when we’re whistling. She gives us some examples of what she’s learned to say and she even tells us about the people in El Hierro island who are working to preserve Silbo Canario and the measures they are able to take to teach people who want to learn. 

We also dive into the distinctive features of Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands. Gara shares insightful comparisons to Caribbean Spanish, highlighting the fascinating linguistic and cultural influences that shape the way Spanish is spoken in these regions.

Thank you to Gara for having this conversation with us in English and for sharing your heritage and your languages with all of us. 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! 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! 

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Hello Language Lovers and welcome back to a new episode of Speaking Tongues. Today we’re talking about Khroskyabs with Yulha. Yulha is native speaker of this endangered language, from the Tibetan Plateau. She has been working on documenting and revitalizing her mother tongue since her high school and she is optimistic of her work moving into a positive direction. 

In this conversation, we discuss: 

Big thank you to Yulha for sharing your culture, your mother tongue and your amazing stories with all of us. 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! 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 Yulha:

ELP mentor appointment: https://endangeredlanguagesproject.as.me/schedule/9f4dee73/appointment/40138205?appointmentTypeIds%5B%5D=40138205

Khrosyyabs mother tongue revitalization videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUgfvqpBlF7Tvurb_ChXvIg

Warming Your Hands with Moonlight PDF

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/e76d2158-360d-46ac-8e85-1e0fedff6341

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Hello Language Lovers. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues, the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. Today, we’re talking with Joshua about Kannada, one of the several languages he grew up speaking in his native Karnataka. Joshua is an Indian expat living in France and owes a lot of finding his dream job to his language learning skills. He is from South India and speaks 9 languages at various levels. He works at L'oreal in Paris and makes videos on youtube about his language learning journeys among other topics in his free time. He's among the few expats that love their lives in Paris and owes a big chunk of that to his language learning too.

In this episode we discuss: 

🇮🇳 Joshua’s growing up in a very multilingual family 

🇮🇳 Linguistic diversity that we experience in Karnataka

🇮🇳 How a chance encounter led him to Urdu poetry and calligraphy

🇮🇳 How Kannada changes between north and south regions of  Karnataka 

🇮🇳 Ancient poetry you can still hear sung on the streets 

Big thank you to Joshua for sharing your culture, your love of language and your incredible stories with all of us. 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! 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 Joshua 

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

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

Website: joshuabalata.com

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Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues, the podcast in conversation with multi linguals. Today, we’re talking with Óskar about Icelandic language and culture. Óskar Bragi is the Chief Icelandic Language Coach at Speak Viking. He has been teaching Icelandic for over 10 years. When not teaching, you can find him: Spending time with his daughter, going to the movies (he's a bit of a human IMDB and loves soaking in everything about the art of filmmaking), marveling and exploring the gorgeous and dramatic Icelandic nature. Occasionally he will cool off with an ice plunge (sometimes in the Atlantic Ocean!) but he IS frequently warming up with a great cup of coffee.

In this episode we talk about: 

🇮🇸 The Icelandic language’s relation to Old Norse and connection to Faroese 

🇮🇸 Some reasons he’s encountered people wanting to learn the language

🇮🇸 How filler words can help Icelandic learners in conversations

🇮🇸 The historical push to maintain the integrity of Icelandic

🇮🇸 Icelandic self care rituals and the traditions of the thermal waters

🇮🇸 And surprisingly enough, Icelandic hip hop music. 

Big thank you to Oskar for sharing your language, culture and your sense of humor with all of us! 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! 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! 

Thank you to Good Good for sponsoring this episode of Speaking Tongues. Born in Iceland, made in the EU, GOOD GOOD offers better for you pantry staples. Naturally derived, non-GMO, low carb, and low calorie, GOOD GOOD jams and spreads are perfect for anyone looking to cut down on sugar without sacrificing taste. Find them on Amazon and in stores across the US, Europe, Canada, and more. Learn more at goodgoodbrand.com.

To Find Oskar: 

Website: https://www.speakviking.com/

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

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtFarshaCWQrHfQHa41_Ag

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

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Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues, the podcast in conversation with multi linguals. Today, I’m speaking with Gvantsa about her languages of Georgian and Mingrelian. Gvantsa is a Master's student at the Technical University of Munich. Although she speaks several languages, her linguistic journey is particularly marked by a deep connection to Georgian, her native language, and Mingrelian, a language she has been intimately familiar with through family. 

In this episode we discuss: 

🇬🇪 Georgia’s relationship to the other Kartvelian languages

🇬🇪 Changes of Georgian throughout the country including a town in the mountains with a different way of speaking

🇬🇪 Folk tales, songs and dances in Georgian - including Georgian polyphonic singing

🇬🇪 Speaking Mingrelian in families and the reasons why it’s become an endangered language

🇬🇪 How Mingrelian is used and how it is expressed orthographically

🇬🇪 How technology is changing the future of language study and how it has been helpful to her

🇬🇪 Of course, we also had to talk about Georgian wine and food - so make sure you keep listening for that part of the conversation 

Big thank you to Gvantsa for this incredible conversation about your languages and your culture. 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! 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. Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Pat N. and John L.  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 Gvantsa: 

https://www.instagram.com/felamushi?igsh=MXY4aWtwYzkzdWx0cA==

To Find Speaking Tongues:

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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

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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 joined by Emily of Language Travel Adoptee to talk about her language story and her journey of connecting to Mandarin Chinese

In this episode Emily talks to us about: 

💫 Her adoption story and her journey to deciding that she was ready to share it with the world

💫 A reluctance she faced in connecting to her past and to the Chinese language

💫 Healing and feeling her way through feelings of grief, shame and loss, turning it into into her power, her voice and her platform

💫 Being authentic and helping other language learners navigate mental health

💫 Taking initial steps in learning Mandarin and what she’s excited to learn on this journey. 

Big thank you to Emily for sharing your story, for being vulnerable and for all the work you do around identity, confidence, and mental health. 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! 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. Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Pat N. and John L.  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 Emily:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/languagetraveladoptee

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

To Find Speaking Tongues 

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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

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Hello Language Lovers. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues. This week, I’m thrilled to bring you this conversation with Belizean linguist, Silvanna Udz. 

Silvaana Maree Udz, Ed.D., is a founding member of di National Kriol Council of Belize. In addition to ongoing Belize Kriol language outputs, she also spent seven years as an assistant professor teaching English in Taiwan, at Ming Cuan University,  researching di embryonic standardization of East Asian Englishes. Before that she worked at the University of Belize and at its pre-amalgamated colleges, teaching either full time or part time since 1981: Currently, she is an adjunct assistant professor at Galen University in Belize. Her current focus with Belize Kriol and the National Kriol Council of Belize is working with a team on updating the current Belize Kriol-English dictionary.

In this episode, we discuss: 

🇧🇿 The structure of Belize Kriol and some of it’s developmental origins

🇧🇿 How she has worked with the team to document the changing language through usage

🇧🇿 Standardizing spelling and learning the orthography rules

🇧🇿 How education and getting kids involved in learning the Kriol early in school has proven successful

🇧🇿 What we’re eating, drinking and doing while we’re spending time in Belize

To Learn More: 

National Kriol Council https://nationalkriolcouncil.org/the_council

Kriol – Inglish Dikshineri

https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/91/95/49/91954925699176285931841170600318709537/BelizeKriol_EngDic_49337_2009.pdf

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Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues, the podcast in conversation with multi linguals. This week, we’re talking with Eukene about her language of Basque. Eukene is a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistic Studies at the University of Miami. She is an advocate of minority languages and cultures. Her work focuses on the language variation in young Basque speakers and ethnolinguistic identities and attitudes towards Basque, both in the Basque Country and the Basque diaspora of Idaho.

In this episode we discuss:

- The perceptions of Basque being a “difficult” language and why that’s not true

- Efforts that have been made over decades to ensure that children are learning the language

- Trauma that exists within minoritized languages

- The standard variety of Basque and the local languages spoken in Pais Vasco 

- Conducting research among the Basque community in Idaho

Big eskerrik asko to Eukene for sharing your language, your research and culture with all of us. 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! 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. Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Pat N. and John L.  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 Eukene:

Instagram & Threads: @minoritylanguaging2

Twitter: @EukeneFL

To Find Speaking Tongues 

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

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Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues, the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. In this episode, we’re talking to Meriem about her Algerian language and culture, as well as architecture and design. Meriem is an Algerian-born, Doha-raised designer currently based in the US, coalescing cultural experiences into multidisciplinary design exploration and fabrication. 

In this episode, we discuss

🇩🇿The distinctions of spoken Arabic spoken in Algeria among other Arabics spoken in North Africa

🇩🇿 Contrasts between Algerian and Gulf spoken Arabic

🇩🇿 How the French colonization of Algeria has affected generations of speakers and educators

🇩🇿 The way Amazigh culture and language and design are such a part of contemporary Algerian life

🇩🇿 What to expect at an Algerian wedding and an Algerian birth

🇩🇿 Rai music that we all know and love! 

Big thank you to Meriam for sharing your culture, your heritage and your design sensibilities with all of us. 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! 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. Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Pat N. and John L.  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 Meriem

@meriem.aiouna

To Find Speaking Tongues 

Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod

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

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Hello Language Lovers! Thanks for tuning in to this new episode. This week we’re speaking with Aiyana (IG@ktunaxapride) about her language of Ktunaxa. Aiyana Twigg is Indigenous, belonging to two nations in Canada, the Ktunaxa Nation and Blackfoot. She grew up within the Ktunaxa Nation in Tobacco Plains and graduated from University with a passion to revitalize her Indigenous language Ktunaxa. 

In this episode we talk about

Growing up in the community and her journey to wanting to learn more about the Ktunaxa language

The efforts being taken to revitalize Ktunaxa and what those responsibilities are like, including developing dictionaries and apps with audio (yes!!)

The wisdom ritual and traditions being passed down and recorded by elders in the community

Advice for how we can support indigenous language and community. 

And we even get to learn some Ktunaxa words and phrases along the way. 

Big thank you to Aiyana for sharing your heritage, your language and your community and all of your hard work you do with the Ktunaxa Nation with all of us. 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! 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. Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Pat N. and John L.  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 Aiyana

IG @ktunaxapride 

Linktree:

First Voices 

https://www.firstvoices.com/

To Find Speaking Tongues:

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