Malti lingualism can teach us something about what not to do with language. One of the languages that inspired me most while writing this book was the language of potowatomi, a language spoken by an s a a tribe in the north of the us. The people who speak this language view the world through a human angle, but also through the eyes of all the other creatures we share and inhabit this planet with. And it is a beautiful example that, a, there is beauty in every language, even if itis only spoken by nine people.
Language is expressive, a way of opening doors or a tool for creating new dialogue. But a tool so powerful can also take us to unforeseen or unintended places. It can create narratives that become fixed, unhelpful, or exclusionary. Kübra Gümüsay is a writer and activist focusing on social justice and public discourse. Her new book is Speaking and Being, which looks at the power of words, asking whether language creates freeing new spaces or plays a part in walling them off. Our host for the discussion is Danielle Sands, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture at Royal Holloway University in London, where she works across disciplines bridging philosophy, literary studies and critical theory.
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