Imagine you run a small business that sells party supplies and your daughter has just started dating Prince William, second in line to the British throne. They get engaged, the date is set, and suddenly you’re in London, at Buckingham Palace, meeting Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen extends her hand and asks, "How do you do?" You’re understandably nervous, but luckily you’ve rehearsed a reply: "Pleased to meet you."

Disaster. Wrong answer. What were you thinking? But you keep making conversation. Maybe you discuss the weather, the traffic, or how to pretend to modernise an outdated institution by marrying off your grandchild. The Queen says something you don’t catch, and, trying to be polite, you ask, "Pardon?" Another disaster.

As ridiculous as all this may sound, it’s what Carole Middleton experienced when her daughter Kate married into the British royal family. Her mistake? Using language to try to climb the social ladder.

Britain has a complex class system, and So upper-class people say: "How do you do?", "what?", and "lavatory". Use "pleased to meet you", or "toilet", and you’ll be instantly revealed as a member of the aspirational middle class trying to infiltrate the upper echelons of society (a heinous crime if you’re British, apparently).

Middleton’s story shows how language defines someone’s world. You can work your way up from a shop selling novelty party balloons to the hallowed halls of Buckingham Palace, but a single word is enough to put you back in your place. That’s because language is loaded with identity and power. Words can wound (as Middleton will be the first to tell you).

And a shared language is the strongest connection any group can have to a shared history and culture.

That’s why this week, our recommended reads explore and celebrate language in its many forms. Happy reading, and have a great weekend!


Fighting to keep your mother tongue alive in a new country For a long time, there was a belief that children would not be able to speak properly if they were addressed in more than one language at home. The latest research shows that children are incredibly permeable and capable of learning their parents’ native language if the parents use it constantly at home. But that is not always easy. In the United States, the percentage of Latinos speaking Spanish has declined over the past decade or so. Many immigrants from Latin America were told not to speak their native language to avoid confusing their children. Others avoided it so that their children would become better suited to life in their new home country. This story features several families whose native language got lost, and those who are fighting to keep it alive. (Irene, First 1,000 Days correspondent) The River: ‘Reclaiming Spanish’ (reading time: 14 minutes)
When words become weapons Politics over my mother tongue, Bengali, is threatening to open fresh fault lines in my part of the world. Those who’ve been following the news flow from India know that the country’s capital is currently in the throes of the worst communal violence in decades. The Hindi- and Hindutva-soaked ideology of the ruling party BJP is held responsible for the rapid polarisation of Indian society. One of the BJP’s prime opponents is the chief minister of my home state of West Bengal, who is now trying to stir up an aggressive sense of Bengali cultural pride to take on the BJP’s almost monopolistic hold over the narrative of aggressive nationalism. This report in the Wire does a fine job of exposing the dangers of her strategy and is a cautionary tale for any community anywhere in the world seeking to weaponise language for political gains. (Tanmoy, Sanity correspondent) The Wire: ‘Can Bangla nationalism counter Hindi-Hindu nationalism in Bengal?’ (Reading time: nine minutes)
Creativity enters where words fail us "Don’t put a bandage on your head before you hurt it” – that’s an Italian expression I often use in our newsroom. Even if I’m familiar with the English equivalent, “cross that bridge when you come to it”, the ridiculous image of someone walking with a bandage on their head to prevent themselves from any harm more fully conveys my meaning. Sometimes, language is not enough, even for polyglots. Words fail us, and that’s where creativity enters. Ezra Klein’s conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K Smith shows the power of poetry and how it is a tool to communicate the “feelings that defy language”. The immediacy, the depth, the urgency and the power of human emotions transcend any structured system of communication. Language follows rules, but let’s also explore irrational ways of communication. Allow poetry to fill in and create the gaps, allow images to widen and restrict the limits of understanding. (Sabrina, editorial assistant) Vox: ‘Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K Smith on the purpose and power of poetry’ (listening time: 90 minutes)

The best of The Correspondent on language

Illustrated avatar of a woman, on a blue background. Why ‘vagina’ should be part of everyone’s vocabulary Not knowing our body means not having power over it. Let’s start with the language we use. Read Irene Caselli’s piece here Photo of nine similar silver statues of a woman sitting on her knees with her hands on her back When artificial intelligence lost in translation is Translation software has improved dramatically. I even used it to translate this piece. But we still need flesh-and-blood, human translators. Read Sanne Blauw’s piece here Illustrated avatar of OluTimehin Adegbeye, Othering Correspondent. Mind your (othering) language There is immense value in active investigations of language. When we think about the impact of words in ways that we might not ordinarily do, we open ourselves up to new perspectives about who has the power to shape reality. Read OluTimehin Adegbeye’s piece here