ANN ARBOR, Mich. – How has language changed your life? A new podcast from Ann Arbor District Library and Fifth Avenue Studios delves deep into how language and linguistics shape us.
“We Are What We Speak” is hosted by filmmakers Juan D. Freitez and Aliyah Mitchell. The two will talk with guests about the power of language from influencing identity to forcing social change.
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“This is a project where I get to, as a nonlinguist, openly sit in my curiosity about language and linguistics while learning from the stories and expertise of others,” Mitchell said, who examines the use of language in marginalized, in a release.
The first episode, divided into two parts, is an interview with University of Michigan professor, Francophone novelist and current President of the Modern Languages Association Frieda Ekotto. The hosts talk with Ekotto about her formative language experiences, her own identity and translation.
“For me, as an immigrant in this country, language has literally meant survival,” said Freitez, who focuses on underrepresented communities. “From there I derived many stories we explore in this podcast.”
Future episodes will have interviews with U-M language instructors, linguistics, artists and filmmakers. The hosts aim to develop “We Are What We Speak” into a docuseries or film with producers Kimmie Kim, AADL officials said.
The limited series will release episodes every week through December that can be found on the library’s podcast website and on major podcast platforms.