Abhishek Avtans
Abhishek Avtans teaches Indic languages and linguistics at Leiden University (the Netherlands). He tweets at @avtansa.
Language of the islanders in Southasia: Part 2
Languages spoken in the islands of the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh demonstrate language contact and convergence, and offer insights into the histories, cultures and linguistic diversity of the region.
Jul 03, 2023
Languages of the islanders in Southasia: Part 1
Linguistic diversity and study of endangered languages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Southasia can help our understanding of human history, cognition and the natural world
Apr 14, 2023
Shaking the melting pot
The role of contact languages in multilingual milieux.
Aug 24, 2021
It takes a village to save a language
Pidgins, creoles and mixed languages of Southasia.
Jul 13, 2021
Under the sun
Summer words and phrases in Southasian languages.
May 18, 2021
Translating a pandemic
The impact of COVID-19 terminology on Southasian languages.
Apr 07, 2021
Latest Articles
Podcast: Uttar Pradesh’s halal ban, Myanmar’s armed groups expose military junta’s weakness, and more
Your Southasia news roundup from 20 Nov - 1 Dec 2023, plus an interview with Aung Kaung Myat on Operation 1027 in Myanmar
India’s slow-burn affair with Israel heats up
Azad Essa’s 'Hostile Homelands' explores the ideological convergence of Hindutva and Zionism, and the consequences for Kashmir and Palestine – but there is much more driving India and Israel’s deepening ties
Disillusioned with the Taliban, Pakistan reverses its four-decade Afghan policy
As Kabul refuses to act against the TTP and Baloch militant groups, Pakistan is ending the support it has extended to the Taliban since 1994 and its welcome to refugees from Afghanistan since the 1980s
The limited genius of Geoffrey Bawa
‘Geoffrey Bawa: Drawing from the Archives’ allows an exploration of the rift between the celebrated architect’s vision for nation-building in Sri Lanka and the country’s present reality
