Abhishek Avtans
Abhishek Avtans teaches Indic languages and linguistics at Leiden University (the Netherlands). He tweets at @avtansa.
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
Pandemics have always revealed the weakness of the Indian state
In 'Pandemic India', David Arnold offers a reflective study of Covid, cholera, plague, the Spanish flu and other historical mass contagions, from the time of the British Raj to the Modi government
Bangladesh’s BNP fights to make a political comeback
With massive anti-government rallies by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and their repression by the ruling Awami League-led government, battle lines are being drawn for the next general election
How a unique language survives in Kashmir’s tiny Burusho community
Despite being a small population, the Burusho community has been able to preserve their language through intergenerational communication and by prioritising their mother tongue over other languages in Kashmir
Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics
Reviving the 2010 reform process can be key to resolving Pakistan’s continued crises, but the reforms need to also target the military's massive business empire
