logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
2h 35m

109: Language Oppression in Tibet (with ...

Daniel Midgley, Ben Ainslie, and Hedvig Skirgård
About this episode

Minority languages are under threat everywhere, but Tibet represents a particularly difficult challenge. The Tibetan language family is under pressure from (no surprise) Mandarin, even as community support for Tibetan remains high. But where does that leave the many other minority languages of the area, like Manegacha? Language policy, community pressure, and individual language choice are coming together in a turbulent mix. Is there any place for hope in this setting? Dr Gerald Roche tells us about this unique situation, drawing from his new book The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet

Daniel chats with Dr Sasha Wilmoth about a very surprising sentence, and how our brains process language in some surprising ways.

Timestamps

Cold open: 0:00
Intros: 0:55
News: 5:30
Chat with Sasha Wilmoth: 21:30
Related or Not: 39:40
Interview with Gerald Roche: 54:40
Words of the Week: 2:02:56
The Reads: 2:29:16
Outtakes: 2:32:56

Up next
Nov 19
129: They Started It: Children and Language Evolution (with Madeleine Beekman)
<p>We've asked linguists about how language began, but what would an evolutionary biologist tell you? Prof <strong>Madeleine Beekman</strong> says it's part of a complex web of body, brain, and community, and at the heart of it is (perhaps surprisingly) childcare. Madeleine is th ... Show More
2h 25m
Oct 22
128: Across the Universe (with Natan Last)
Among so many great word games, crosswords still reign supreme. How have they survived — and even expanded — in our digital age? What goes into a good puzzle, and will computer techniques take over? Daniel chats with author Natan Last about his book Across the Universe: The Past, ... Show More
2h 7m
Oct 10
127: Oh (with Maia Chao, Kelly Wright, and Caitlin Green)
The "Oh" show was an experimental linguistics performance lecture. It happened in June 2025 at Creative Time HQ in New York City. Actors, musicians, and audience came together (with at least one linguist!) to act out dialogues from conversational analysis, and have fun with langu ... Show More
2h 15m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet
In this episode of the Language on the Move Podcast, Tazin Abdullah speaks with Dr. Gerald Roche, Associate Professor in the Department of Politics, Media, and Philosophy at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and head of research for the Linguistic Justice Foundation. Tazi ... Show More
58m 22s
Jan 2025
The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet
In this episode of the Language on the Move Podcast, Tazin Abdullah speaks with Dr. Gerald Roche, Associate Professor in the Department of Politics, Media, and Philosophy at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and head of research for the Linguistic Justice Foundation. Tazi ... Show More
58m 22s
May 2023
Jan Ke-Schutte, "Angloscene: Compromised Personhood in Afro-Chinese Translations" (U California Press, 2023)
Today I had the pleasure of talking to Jay Ke-Schutte on his just released book, Angloscene: Compromised Personhood in Afro-Chinese Translations (U California Press, 2023). Angloscene examines Afro-Chinese interactions within Beijing's aspirationally cosmopolitan student class. J ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 2024
"The Languages of Indonesian Politics" Revisited
In 1966 Benedict Anderson published 'The Languages of Indonesian Politics', a seminal paper exploring the development of Indonesian as a new language for talking about national politics. In that paper Anderson underlined the contrast between the formal/official style of Indonesia ... Show More
37m 41s
Nov 2024
"The Languages of Indonesian Politics" Revisited
In 1966 Benedict Anderson published 'The Languages of Indonesian Politics', a seminal paper exploring the development of Indonesian as a new language for talking about national politics. In that paper Anderson underlined the contrast between the formal/official style of Indonesia ... Show More
37m 41s
Mar 2025
How Learning a New Language Rewires Your Brain—Lessons from the Pirahã Tribe | Daniel Everett : 1258
<p><strong>Is the Way You Speak Limiting How You Think?</strong></p><p>For years, scientists debated how language shapes the brain, but new research reveals it goes far beyond communication. Some languages lack numbers, grammar, or even complex sentences—yet their speakers naviga ... Show More
1h 11m
Feb 2025
Fluent in Funny: Jesse Appell on Learning, Performing, and Laughing in Chinese
What happens when an American comedian immerses himself in Chinese comedy? Jesse Appell’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. In this episode, Jesse shares how his curiosity about language led him to study in China, become a Fulbright scholar, and apprentice under a master ... Show More
49m 57s
Jun 2024
Philosophy's linguistic turn: Was it a mistake? | Hilary Lawson, Michael Potter, John Searle
Is the real world unreachable due to the mediation of language? Or has the linguistic turn in philosophy and academia gone too far?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesJoin post-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson, professor of logic Mi ... Show More
42m 28s
Apr 2023
How your personality changes in another language
If you feel like you have a different personality in Chinese, then you’re not alone. Jared & John talk about this fascinating phenomenon on how many act and feel differently when speaking a 2nd language. Guest interview is with Taha Shlibek from Libya, who left his stable job to ... Show More
1h 10m
Oct 2024
Xiaoming Wang, "Muslim Chinese: The Hui in Rural Ningxia" (de Gruyter, 2019)
As the predominantly Muslim Chinese who claim ancestry from Persian and Arabic-speaking regions in Central Asia and the Middle East, the Hui people in China have received relatively little attention in anthropology. According to the 2010 census, the Hui are the largest Muslim gro ... Show More
46m 25s