Language Therapy with Dr. K

56:18

Hidden in Plain Speech: What Armenian Dialects Remember

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/10/05

Why are some forms of Armenian dismissed as "incorrect" or "impure"? What can dialects preserve that standardized forms of a language may lose? And what do we lose when speakers are taught to distrust the Armenian they inherited? 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 extraordinary diversity of Armenian dialects. Drawing on historical and

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01:17:08

Speaking the Wrong Armenian: Language, Belonging, and...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/09/07

What happens when the language you inherit is not the language of the place you have come to think of as home? And what does it mean to be told—implicitly or explicitly—that the Armenian you speak is somehow the wrong one? Dr. K sits down with poet and creative producer Nyree Abrahamian to trace a linguistic life that moves from Western Armenian in Toronto to Eastern Armenian in Yerevan, with English, French, dialect, and plenty of mixing along the way. Their conversation explores what happens when

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01:19:16

Armenian Orthography: History, Reform, and Evidence

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/08/04

Why do Armenians write the same language differently? Why do debates over spelling evoke such strong emotions? And what can linguistic scholarship reveal about one of Armenian's most enduring controversies? 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 evolution of Armenian orthography—the shared conventions that govern how a language is written

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01:07:27

Performing Belonging: The Psychology of Heritage...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/07/09

How can someone who speaks a dozen languages still struggle to speak the one that feels most personal? Why can a heritage language carry emotional burdens that no foreign language ever does? Dr. K is joined by literary critic, translator, poet, and curator Christopher Atamian—a Harvard graduate, Fulbright Fellow, and award-winning translator of Armenian and French literature into English—to explore the psychology of heritage language anxiety. Together they discuss multilingualism, family

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01:12:33

The Armenian Alphabet: History, Myth, and Evidence

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/06/03

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

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42:12

Tracing Time Through Language: How Old Is Armenian?

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/04/30

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

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57:43

Language Has its Own Memory: Vahé Berberian Live

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/04/06

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

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54:13

Armenian as an Indo European Language

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/02/22

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

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01:12:21

Punchlines and Power: The Language of Stand-Up Comedy...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/02/02

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:

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51:44

Introduction to Armenian Language: Myths,...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2026/01/12

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,

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59:01

Beside the Golden Door: Jazz, Homeland, and the...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/12/01

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

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01:12:18

Writing the Speeches that Shaped History with Ken...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/11/05

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,

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58:04

Armenian in the Indo-European Family — with Dr. Hrach...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/10/09

What does it mean to call Armenian an Indo-European language? And how do linguists actually prove such family ties? In this episode, Dr. K and historical-comparative linguist Dr. Hrach Martirosyan trace Armenian’s journey from its Indo-European roots to modern dialects, weighing evidence from cognates, systematic sound changes, and centuries of contact. They focus on the label “Indo-European,” unpacking it as a scholarly convention that has often led to confusion about geography and identity

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01:11:34

From Komitas to Capital Cities: Sebu Simonian Between...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/09/05

What does it mean to live and create between languages? How can code-switching become a form of artistry? In this episode of Language Therapy with Dr. K, Armenian American singer, songwriter, and one-half of the chart-topping duo Capital Cities, Sebu Simonian, takes listeners behind the scenes of his creative process and reveals the central role of language. From growing up a heritage speaker of Western Armenian to performing in Eastern Armenian, from writing global pop hits in English to

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01:11:34

From Komitas to Capital Cities: Sebu Simonian Between...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/09/05

What does it mean to live and create between languages? How can code-switching become a form of artistry? In this episode of Language Therapy with Dr. K, Armenian American singer, songwriter, and one-half of the chart-topping duo Capital Cities, Sebu Simonian, takes listeners behind the scenes of his creative process and reveals the central role of language. From growing up a heritage speaker of Western Armenian to performing in Eastern Armenian, from writing global pop hits in English to

en

01:15:26

Echoes, Dialects, Selves: Performing Belonging with...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/08/07

What happens when language is more than a tool—when it becomes a performance, a personality, a portal to the past? In this richly layered conversation, artist and filmmaker Arman Nshanian joins Dr. K to trace the story of his life through the languages and dialects he's spoken, sung, embodied, and directed—from Egyptian-Armenian roots to Vienna opera halls, Yerevan film sets, and now to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles with his latest project, Echoes of Our Ancestors. Together, they explore

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01:15:06

Echoes, Dialects, Selves: Performing Belonging with...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/08/07

What happens when language is more than a tool—when it becomes a performance, a personality, a portal to the past? In this richly layered conversation, artist and filmmaker Arman Nshanian joins Dr. K to trace the story of his life through the languages and dialects he's spoken, sung, embodied, and directed—from Egyptian-Armenian roots to Vienna opera halls, Yerevan film sets, and now to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles with his latest project, Echoes of Our Ancestors. Together, they explore

en

01:11:20

The Architecture of Belonging: Education and the...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/06/30

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

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57:55

The Language of Luck: Cultivating Serendipity with...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/06/02

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

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58:15

The Language of Luck: Cultivating Serendipity with...

Language Therapy with Dr. K ·

2025/06/02

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

en

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