Introducing: ‘A Language I Love Is…’

There’s a new linguistic podcast out there!

Friends, linguists, podcast pros, lend me your ears! Being committed to bringing the joys of linguistics to a wide audience, and motivated by the continuing decline of Twitter, I am thrilled to announce that I now have a podcast!

It’s called A Language I Love Is… and it’s my audio avenue to broadcast linguists’ love for languages through entertaining and educational episodes. I am its host and the format of each episode is to offer one guest the space to introduce and discuss thoroughly one language of their choosing. Together host and guest discuss and delight in that particular language through three open-ended questions:

• What is your story and connection to this language?
• What do you love about this language?
• What is something you want the audience to know about this language?

It’s still very early days, but I am over the moon with the positive response and support for ALILI so far. It’s currently available on Acast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can listen here:

Romansh and Emma Gledhill – A Language I Love Is…

For episode 22, we're travelling high into the Alps, to join linguist and translator Emma Gledhill in the Graubünden/Grisons canton of Switzerland. Emma's chosen language is Romansh, the distinct Romance language of the region that, despite its endangered and disunited state, nonetheless holds the status of one of Switzerland's four official languages. Emma leads us through the origins, history and social standing of Romansh, as well as some delightful bits of vocabulary. Emma's Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/linguistforsail?lang=en⁠ Sample of spoken Romansh by native speaker Daniel from here: ⁠https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Romansh_(Wikitongues).ogg⁠ Host: Danny BateGuest: Emma GledhillMusic: Bossa Nova by William_KingArtwork: William Marler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1. Romansh and Emma Gledhill 39:57
2. Catalan and Alba Clopés and Joey Barber 42:29
3. P'urhepecha and Kate Bellamy 42:20
4. Kashmiri and Sāmapriẏa Basu 50:22
5. Biblical Hebrew and Benjamin Suchard 49:43

I’m hoping to have a schedule of one episode per week, and to date I have managed four episodes and four beloved languages:

• Scots
• Akkadian
• Old Saxon
• Sanskrit

It’s looking all a bit historical at the moment, which isn’t a surprise considering my friends and my own academic interests, but episodes about living languages are absolutely welcome and currently in the planning. I should also say that this is very much not a show about me. It’s a means to let people share their love for language, and as such it is is dependent on its guests. So, if I get in touch with an invite, or if you want to volunteer yourself, please do consider it!

I’m hoping to share links on this site as each new episode comes out, so watch this space. I hope you will give it a go and help ALILI to grow. All listens, recommendations and subscriptions are very much appreciated.

Danny x