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Language Therapy with Dr. KAuthor: USC Institute of Armenian Studies
Language Therapy with Dr. K explores language in the Armenian context. Discover the quirky nuances, fun, and frustrations of language, as Dr. Shushan Karapetian delves into conversations about immigration, diaspora, shame, bilingualism, culture, heritage, and so much more. A USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies podcast. Language: en Genres: Education, Kids & Family, Language Learning Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Language Has its Own Memory: Vahé Berberian Live
Monday, 6 April, 2026
What does it mean to live—and create—across languages? In this special live episode of Language Therapy with Dr. K, Dr. K sits down with Vahé Berberian—writer, artist, playwright, and stand-up comedian—to explore the role of language in shaping identity and artistic expression. The conversation unfolds primarily in Armenian, with English woven in throughout. Berberian reflects on a life lived across Lebanon, Europe, and North America, and how each linguistic environment has left its imprint on his voice. As he puts it, "language has its own memory, and memory has its own language." Dr. K and Vahe trace how language carries history, shapes storytelling, and at times resists being contained within a single linguistic system. From stand-up comedy to painting and literature, language emerges not simply as a medium, but as material, something that can be stretched or reshaped, and performed. Dr. K and Vahe explore code-switching as both necessity and creative choice, the tension between "pure" language and lived multilingual reality, and the role of humor as a way of making difficult truths speakable. They also reflect on writing in Armenian and English, performing for different audiences, and how the relationship between language and self continues to evolve over time.
