There are about 7,000 languages spoken, but their status is far from equal. Some dominate because of history, colonialism or technology. Others are oral and do not have a script. Some are supported by governments, while others are banned or stigmatized.

This is in fact the history of the term vernacular: In Etruscan, a pre-Indo European language, it meant ‘native’ or ‘Indigenous’. Yet the root ‘verna’ was adopted by Latin, an imperial language, to refer to ‘home-born slaves.’ In colonial British English, it was used to describe negatively local cultures and languages across the world.

In this podcast, we reclaim the initial meaning of the word. We hear stories of those who make language their journey of discovery, of reclaimed origins and cultural pride, of fair coexistence, of equal access to technology and information, of decolonization and inclusion.

We discuss how languages borrow from each other to enrich their worldview, evolve constantly and never completely die. We learn from initiatives that support a multilingual world where every language is celebrated and recognized as invaluable in our ecosystem of cultures.