What happens when languages travel, meet and change?

Drawing on her own experience of growing up speaking Punjabi in Yorkshire, Kashmir Kaur explores Punjabi as a diasporic language across places, generations and popular culture. Through maps, personal stories, Punjabi words, Gurmukhi and music - from bhangra and British Asian fusion to Panjabi MC, Diljit Dosanjh and contemporary global collaborations - we’ll follow some of the ways Punjabi travels and changes across different contexts. But if there is no single English and no single Punjabi, can there really be a single ‘Panglish’? And who decides what counts as ‘good’ or ‘proper’ language? Come and try some Punjabi, experiment with writing your name in Gurmukhi, listen for linguistic and musical mixing and think about the words and ways of speaking that you carry with you. No knowledge of Punjabi is required.

Kashmir Kaur (SFHEA) is an Associate Professor of English for Academic Purposes at the University of Leeds. Her teaching and research focus on critical approaches to language and academic communication, with particular interests in multilingualism, language and identity, and linguistic diversity. Her work explores how assumptions about language, knowledge and legitimacy shape whose voices are heard and valued.

This event is part of Leeds City of Languages Festival and is delivered in collaboration with Leeds Libraries.