Language Therapy with Dr. K

USC Institute of Armenian Studies
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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.

  1. 3. Juni

    The Armenian Alphabet: History, Myth, and Evidence

    Did the invention of the alphabet mark the beginning of Armenian? Was there writing in Armenia before Mashtots? And what can the Armenian alphabet reveal about the deeper history of the Armenian language? In this episode, Dr. K continues her conversation with historical and comparative linguist Dr. Hrach Martirosyan, one of the world's leading specialists on the history of Armenian, to explore the origins and development of the Armenian alphabet. Drawing on linguistics, manuscript traditions, and the comparative study of writing systems, they examine the relationship between language and script, discuss the evidence for and against pre-Mashtotsian writing, and situate the Armenian alphabet within the broader context of early Christian literary cultures. The conversation also explores the origins of letter names, the principles behind the ordering of the alphabet, the later addition of letters such as Օ and Ֆ, and the use of Armenian letters as numerals. Along the way, they reconsider a range of enduring claims about the alphabet's origins, symbolism, and structure, illustrating how linguistic evidence can illuminate questions that have long occupied both scholars and the public imagination. Rather than treating the alphabet as the beginning of the Armenian language, this episode places it within a much longer linguistic history, reframing Mashtots' achievement not as the birth of Armenian, but as a transformative moment in its already ancient story.

    1 Std. 13 Min.

  2. 30. Apr.

    Tracing Time Through Language: How Old Is Armenian?

    Can a language carry the memory of thousands of years? What does it actually mean to ask how old a language is? In this episode, Dr. K continues her conversation with historical-comparative linguist Dr. Hrach Martirosyan, whose work on the earliest stages of Armenian has helped reshape scholarly understanding of the language's development, as they explore one of the most frequently asked—and frequently misunderstood—questions about Armenian: how old it truly is. Drawing on the tools of historical and comparative linguistics, they unpack the concepts of Pre-Armenian and Proto-Armenian, explain how languages diverge, and reconsider what linguistic continuity looks like across vast stretches of time. Grounded in examples from modern Armenian, the conversation reveals the historical strata embedded within everyday speech, illuminating a language shaped not by isolation but by movement, encounter, and transformation. Armenian emerges not as a relic of the past, but as a dynamic linguistic system whose longevity lies precisely in its capacity to evolve.

    42 Min.

  3. 6. Apr.

    Language Has its Own Memory: Vahé Berberian Live

    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.

    58 Min.

  4. 22. Feb.

    Armenian as an Indo European Language

    What does it mean to call Armenian an Indo-European language? And, what, exactly, is a "language family"?  In this episode, Dr. K sits down with historical comparative linguist Dr. Hrach Martirosyan to unpack the scientific foundations behind that claim. Together, they explain how scholars reconstruct linguistic relationships across thousands of years, why Indo-European became the most studied language family, and common misperceptions about linguistic ancestry. Moving from early discoveries about deep similarities between Sanskrit and European languages to Grimm's Law and beyond, the conversation illustrates how words like mother, father, and daughter preserve echoes of a shared linguistic past across millennia, and how linguists distinguish inheritance from contact. This episode offers a clear and compelling introduction to how historical-comparative linguistics uncovers the deep history of Armenian, showing how scientific methods illuminate its place within one of the world's most widespread and extensively studied language families.

    54 Min.

  5. 2. Feb.

    Punchlines and Power: The Language of Stand-Up Comedy with Judith Shelton

    Why do we call it stand-up? What do mob violence and comedy have in common? In this episode of Language Therapy, Dr. K sits down with Judith Shelton—comedian, actor, and professor of stand-up comedy and improvisation at the USC School of Dramatic Arts—to unpack the language and culture behind making people laugh. Drawing on her decades-long career, from The Groundlings to a memorable turn as Kramer's girlfriend on Seinfeld, Judith reflects on how stand-up comedy is shaped by combative metaphors: punchlines, killing it, bombing on stage. Together, they explore whether comedy can truly be taught, and where craft ends and instinct begins. The conversation culminates in a powerful reflection on stand-up as a humanizing force—one that fosters empathy, connection, and self-knowledge, especially in the diverse classroom Judith has cultivated at USC. Join us for a sharp, thoughtful, and deeply entertaining exploration of language, laughter, and what comedy reveals about who we are.

    1 Std. 12 Min.

  6. 12. Jan.

    Introduction to Armenian Language: Myths, Misconceptions, and Evidence

    What are the roots of the Armenian language and what does it mean to call it a living, evolving language? In this introductory episode of a special Armenian-language season, Dr. K sits down with Dr. Hrach Martirosyan, one of the world's leading historical-comparative linguists and foremost authorities on Armenian. Together, they unpack widespread misconceptions about Armenian—from what it means to call it Indo-European, to myths about its origins and age, to debates over the "right" form, borrowings, and language purism—setting the stage for a deep exploration of Armenian as a language shaped by history, contact, and its speakers. This conversation highlights what linguistic science, in all its branches and manifestations, can reveal about the millennia-long presence of Armenian speakers in the Armenian highland and across the globe.

    52 Min.

  7. 01.12.2025

    Beside the Golden Door: Jazz, Homeland, and the Universal Song with Lucy Yeghiazaryan

    What happens when your first American "language" isn't English, but jazz? How does a voice shaped in the uncertainty and upheaval of 1990s Armenia find its way onto New York's storied jazz stages while still carrying the timbre of folk songs and candlelit nights? In this episode, Dr. K sits down with jazz vocalist Lucy Yeghiazaryan, born in Armenia during a period of profound transition before immigrating at twelve—not to an Armenian enclave, but to rural New Jersey. Together they trace Lucy's journey as a quintessential 1.5-generation Armenian: from growing up between literary Russian, colloquial Eastern Armenian, and jazz standards learned phonetically, to navigating the complexities of singing a Black American art form as an Armenian immigrant woman. Lucy reflects on longing, guilt, and the feeling of forever standing "beside the golden door" that shaped her new album pairing Armenian folk songs with American jazz standards. The conversation explores raising a bilingual child, the tension between colloquial and literary Armenian, and why diasporans must shed the myth of being "defective Armenians" and claim their role as cultural creators. Join us for an intimate conversation about music as firelight, the universality of human feeling, and how a mountain-top voice can carry Armenia far beyond the narratives of war and loss.

    59 Min.

  8. 05.11.2025

    Writing the Speeches that Shaped History with Ken Khachigian

    What does it mean to write the words that shape history? How does language become a tool of power, persuasion, and memory? In this live episode, Dr. K sits down with Ken Khachigian—author of Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan and Nixon and one of America's most influential presidential speechwriters—to trace his journey from a farm boy in California's San Joaquin Valley to the heart of political power. An Armenian-American whose heritage shaped his sense of resourcefulness and agility, Khachigian reflects on the art and psychology of speechwriting, the intimacy and trust it demands, and the nicknames that capture its many dimensions—the Word Donkey, the Fireman, the Lion of the Speechwriters. Together, he and Dr. K explore how finding a president's voice means balancing message, emotion, and history. This is a conversation about ambition, integrity, and the enduring power of words to define both personal and collective experience.

    1 Std. 12 Min.
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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.

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  • Erstellt von
    USC Institute of Armenian Studies
  • Jahre aktiv
    2023 - 2026
  • Folgen
    59
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    Unbedenklich
  • Sendungswebsite
    Language Therapy with Dr. K

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