Medz Yeghern: The Politics of Naming the Armenian Genocide
Release Date: 04/26/2024
The Architecture of Belonging: Education and the Armenian Linguistic Landscape
Language Therapy with Dr. K
What happens when the language you speak has been disconnected from its homeland for over a century? How does dialect shape identity, belonging, and memory? In this episode, Dr. K sits down with David Ghoogasian—educator and head of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School—who grew up speaking the now-rare Armenian dialect of Artvin, passed down to him by his grandparents. Together, they explore the emotional and cultural power of dialect, the experience of linguistic shame, and the formative role of literacy in diasporic life. Drawing on his background in neuroscience and education, David...
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The Language of Luck: Cultivating Serendipity with Christian Busch
Language Therapy with Dr. K
How do we talk about luck? Can a shift in language alter our experience of chance and unpredictability? What happens when we stop waiting for fortune to strike and begin cultivating the conditions for serendipity? In this episode, Dr. K is joined by Dr. Christian Busch—author of The Serendipity Mindset and professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business—for a wide-ranging conversation on the intersection of language, luck, and meaning-making. Together, they explore how the stories we tell about fortune shape our ability to perceive and act on unexpected opportunities. From folk...
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The Language of Luck: Cultivating Serendipity with Christian Busch
Language Therapy with Dr. K
How do we talk about luck? Can a shift in language alter our experience of chance and unpredictability? What happens when we stop waiting for fortune to strike and begin cultivating the conditions for serendipity? In this episode, Dr. K is joined by Dr. Christian Busch—author of The Serendipity Mindset and professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business—for a wide-ranging conversation on the intersection of language, luck, and meaning-making. Together, they explore how the stories we tell about fortune shape our ability to perceive and act on unexpected opportunities. From folk...
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Mapping Language and Identity: Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian and the Armenian Diaspora Survey
Language Therapy with Dr. K
What does it mean to live a multilingual life shaped by displacement, theology, and research? How can language serve both as a utilitarian tool and a site of philosophical reflection? And what can large-scale data reveal about Armenian identity across continents? Join Dr. K and Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian—sociologist, scholar of religion, and director of the Armenian Diaspora Survey—as they trace his personal and intellectual journey across Beirut, Jerusalem, New York, and Oxford, using language as the thread. In this expansive conversation, they discuss the boundaries imposed and...
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Mapping Language and Identity: Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian and the Armenian Diaspora Survey
Language Therapy with Dr. K
What does it mean to live a multilingual life shaped by displacement, theology, and research? How can language serve both as a utilitarian tool and a site of philosophical reflection? And what can large-scale data reveal about Armenian identity across continents? Join Dr. K and Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian—sociologist, scholar of religion, and director of the Armenian Diaspora Survey—as they trace his personal and intellectual journey across Beirut, Jerusalem, New York, and Oxford, using language as the thread. In this expansive conversation, they discuss the boundaries imposed and...
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Rearranging Armenian: Authenticity, Listening, and Learning
Language Therapy with Dr. K
How does active listening shape a conversation? And what happens when we bring colloquial language into public discourse? In this episode, Dr. K sits down with Narek Amirkhanyan, host of Rearrange, Armenia’s most popular podcast, to explore the power of authenticity in language and media. They dive into the origins of Rearrange, its impact on the Armenian media landscape, and what it means to have smart, unfiltered conversations in everyday Armenian. Together, they unpack the cultural, personal, and political weight of speaking colloquially in public media—examining how language can be an...
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Rearranging Armenian: Authenticity, Listening, and Learning
Language Therapy with Dr. K
How does active listening shape a conversation? And what happens when we bring colloquial language into public discourse? In this episode, Dr. K sits down with Narek Amirkhanyan, host of Rearrange, Armenia’s most popular podcast, to explore the power of authenticity in language and media. They dive into the origins of Rearrange, its impact on the Armenian media landscape, and what it means to have smart, unfiltered conversations in everyday Armenian. Together, they unpack the cultural, personal, and political weight of speaking colloquially in public media—examining how language can be an...
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Multilingualism on and off the Screen: Anora's Karren Karagulian
Language Therapy with Dr. K
How can a film seamlessly play with languages? What is it like to move through multiple languages in a single sentence on screen? And what is the impact of giving linguistic freedom and agency to an actor? Join Dr. K and Karren Karagulian, Armenian American actor most well known for his role as Toros in the five-time Oscar winning film, Anora, as they discuss his unique position as the film’s unofficial language consultant for Armenian, the trust necessary between actor and director to capture authentic linguistic fluidity, and the impact on the audience.
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Multilingualism on and off the Screen: Anora's Karren Karagulian
Language Therapy with Dr. K
How can a film seamlessly play with languages? What is it like to move through multiple languages in a single sentence on screen? And what is the impact of giving linguistic freedom and agency to an actor? Join Dr. K and Karren Karagulian, Armenian American actor most well known for his role as Toros in the five-time Oscar winning film, Anora, as they discuss his unique position as the film’s unofficial language consultant for Armenian, the trust necessary between actor and director to capture authentic linguistic fluidity, and the impact on the audience.
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Classical Armenian as Linguistic Archeology
Language Therapy with Dr. K
How can an ancient language be used as a vital tool of contemporary research? Can it serve as a form of time travel? What is the value of studying Classical Armenian - the oldest attested form of the Armenian language? Join Professor Peter Cowe, Narekatsi Professor of Armenian Studies at UCLA, and Dr. K as they reflect on learning, teaching, and living in multiple classical and modern languages. Listen as they locate Armenian in the larger Indo-European language family, dispel prevalent misconceptions, and reinforce language as a crucial lens for understanding the past and the present.
info_outlineHow does our choice of language shape our understanding of history? What power do words hold in defining our past and current events? Join Dr. K and Dr. Vartan Matiossian, author of The Politics of Naming the Armenian Genocide, as they delve into the geneology, etymology, and chronology of Medz Yeghern - the Armenian term for the mass murder and ethnic cleansing of the Armenian ethno-religious group in the Ottoman Empire between the years 1915-1923. They discuss how the politics of naming the Armenian genocide have been navigated in academic, political, and social spheres, particularly as Armenians struggled for international recognition in the face of Turkish denial. They unpack the use, misuse, and abuse of Medz Yeghern as a reflection on the weight of language choice in shaping historical narratives and collective memory.