Episode notes
In this first main-season episode, we reflect on the role that pronunciation plays in manifesting a deeper curiosity about our world, and empathy for others in it. I will always try my best to pronounce the names of people and places "properly", but is our choice to pronounce the names of other countries the same way that locals do always a mark of moral "superiority"? Or is there a level of dehumanizing elitism in expecting everyone to know exactly the right pronunciation to use? Can we find a balance between trying to normalize a wider range of terms, and making people feel left out for not already, automatically knowing which one is "best"?
Keywords
languagelinguistics