Language Matters By Diplomatic Language Services

In this episode of Language Matters, Molly sits down with two native Hausa speakers, Ousmane and Hausa, to discuss various nuances of Hausa culture and language, like the subtle differences in pronunciation ofthe same letters. Then we are joined by one of their students, Ty, to chat about the difficulties native English speakers face when learning Hausa. Sit back and enjoy this “funky” episode about one of west Africa’s lesser known, yet far-reaching languages! *Explicit language at end of episode

In this episode, we talk with two native Italian speakers, Simona Westlund and Simona Gentile, about how Italian differs from other romance languages and the variations of the language across different regions of the country. We then trace the Italian origins of terms commonly used in English, such as “paisan”. And as always, we leave you with a discussion on interesting Italian idioms or phrases. Capisce?

In this episode of Language Matters, we delve into a complex and sensitive group of languages, including Persian Farsi, Dari, and Tajik. Native Dari speaker born in Afghanistan, Faraidoon Saadat, joins us along with Persian Farsi speaker and Iran native, Fatemeh Towhidi. Together, we discuss the regions in which the various languages are spoken and how the writing systems differ. We then compare and contrast Persian Farsi and Dari, specifically, discussing perceptions of the differences among varying groups of speakers and how aspects of the two languages can be found in others!

In this episode of Language Matters, we are joined by two native Thai speakers, Pim Tovanabutra and Suwitcha Narksuk, to discuss the Thai writing system. Most interestingly, we cover non-phonetic symbols in writing and how to write words borrowed from other languages. We also compare the various, mutually intelligible dialects across Thailand. Finally, we cover the five tones specific to Thai. And, as always, don’t forget to stick around until the end for our guests’ favorite Thai phrases!

In this episode of Language Matters, we sit down with two native Mandarin Chinese speakers, Christina Hayes and Cecilia Gou, to discuss Chinese writing systems. Specifically, we cover individual written characters, how Chinese speakers associate sounds and meaning to the characters, and how the characters are typed on electronic devices. We then compare the “standard” Mandarin to other Chinese dialects. And it wouldn’t be a true discussion about Chinese dialect without learning how tones work! Finally, we leave you with some parting words as our guests break down their favorite Chinese phrases!

In this episode of Language Matters, we talk to two Russian speakers, Dudley Hagen and Katia Anderson. We will discuss the script, difficult sounds for non-native speakers, cases, and the elusive verbs of motion. We top it all off with some interesting Russian proverbs to use with your Russian pals.

Welcome to our podcast, “Language Matters”, hosted by Molly Sampson, Director of Language Programs. You don’t need a PhD in linguistics to explore interesting, unique features of different languages. In this podcast, “Language Matters”, we make language accessible to everyday people by discussing features which may not exist in other languages. For instance, unless you have studied a Slavic language, you may not be familiar with “verbs of motion”, but we can teach you! Join us each episode as we host experts to discuss how these unique features impact learning a particular language. We will learn together, not only about verbs of motion, but tones, counter words, the oblique form – and all sorts of exciting topics!