The Power of Language and Identity

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Trevor Noah's memoir, 'Born a Crime', tells the story of his life growing up in a racially segregated South Africa. With a white father and a black mother, Noah navigates the challenges of being multiracial in a society that rigidly categorizes people by race. Language becomes his tool for survival and connecting with others. He describes himself as a 'chameleon' who can change others' perception of his color through his ability to speak different languages. This ability helps him bridge the gap between different worlds and reminds the author of their own experiences transitioning between different socio-economic backgrounds and the impact of language on identity.

Language is one of the most powerful tools that humans have accessible to them.

Don't believe us? Consider the fact that someone could walk up to you and say something that could immediately change your mental state.

Nothing around you has changed, other than the words echoed through the air.

In this episode, Cal and Steph discuss the power of words and how language can shape the way we think. They use untranslatable words to convey these concepts and share how language has been shown to impact anything from our impression of time, space, or even emotional regularity.

If you're interested in digging into this more, Steph has built a directory of untranslatable words (Eunoia, which itself is an untranslatable word) and has written an article about the topic here. Send us a message with your favorite "untranslatables"!

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