For centuries folk histories of language have been part of national narratives everywhere: the belief that Hebrew is the one pure language of Noah, that Latin is inherently tied to the Apostolic Church, that pure ‘Indians’ spoke Sanskrit, or that English is essential to the character of the US. We attach values to languages to make sense of our identity and the identities of those around us.
In this conversation, Laura Spinney will discuss her new book Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global to ask: why do we we use the words we do? From the rise of our extinct ancestral language near the Black Sea among a pastoral horseriding tribe, to the rapid and radical changes it underwent once its speakers entered the Indian subcontinent.
And Peggy Mohan, discussing her new book Father Tongue, Motherland: The Birth of Languages in South Asia, will dig into the language’s past to find its historical grammar: why do we string together our words the way we do?
Together, we shall ask: Does the way we speak shape who we are?
Fact or Value 