Hindi might not be the national language – but it is growing rapidly across India

This would explain the recent anxieties around Hindi imposition.

Shoaib Daniyal

· Sep 19, 2020 · 09:00 am

An American teacher’s online Malayalam lessons have won her a following even in Kerala

EliKutty, or Eliza Keyton, has brought a fun perspective to learning a language.

Vandana Menon

· Sep 16, 2020 · 06:30 pm

Why is India obsessed with English-medium education – when it goes against scientific consensus?

Several empirical studies support what the New Education Policy is proposing about education in the mother tongue early on, adding English later.

Shoaib Daniyal

· Aug 06, 2020 · 09:00 am

How a Bihari lost her mother tongue to Hindi – but is now trying to get it back

I tried to expel Angika from my life. But it, thankfully, wouldn’t leave me.

Archana Singh

· Jun 30, 2020 · 07:30 am

We’re on ‘coronacation’ while we wait for ‘lexit’: How coronavirus is changing our language

A ‘covidiot’ is someone who ignores public health advice. ‘Zoombombing’ is intrusion into a video call.

Kate Burridge and Howard Manns, The Conversation

· May 12, 2020 · 06:30 pm

A limited vocabulary hinders your ability to express emotions – and to understand them

Sometimes, it’s even used as a tool for social control.

Kaidi Wu, Aeon

· Mar 24, 2020 · 11:30 pm

Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’: How to decode the story’s linguistic secrets

Pullman achieves an eerie blend of familiarity and strangeness through his use of language.

Simon Horobin, The Conversation

· Nov 26, 2019 · 05:30 pm

Want to build a language from scratch? Start with the question who will speak it, and why

It’s impossible to invent a perfect language. But Klingon from ‘Star Trek’ and Na’vi from ‘Avatar’ have shown how context makes all the difference.

Bettina Beinhoff, The Conversation

· Sep 13, 2019 · 05:30 pm

Twitter is helping the ancient Scots language thrive (and garner attention)

The platform has provided a forum for the written Scots language to evolve in a way that wasn’t possible before the advent of social media.

E Jamieson and Sadie Ryan, The Conversation

· Aug 15, 2019 · 09:30 pm

The haleem debate: Why some Indian Muslims are renaming the Ramzan delicacy ‘daleem’

The new social media-driven Indian Muslim has suddenly realised that ‘haleem’ is a name for God. What does that say about religion in a hyperconnected age?

Shoaib Daniyal

· Jun 03, 2019 · 11:30 am

Shaheed and martyr are religious terms. Should they be used for Indian soldiers killed in battle?

Both words have very specific meanings in Islamic and Christian history.

Shoaib Daniyal

· Mar 10, 2019 · 06:30 am

No Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan? Implemented fully, BJP’s Hindutva renaming will wipe out a lot of India

Earlier attempts to erase the lexical traces of India’s syncretic culture have been made – with little success.

Shoaib Daniyal

· Nov 20, 2018 · 08:00 am