Word For Word with Sophia Smith Galer
The languages that shaped Sathnam Sanghera
Published: 17 March 2026 at 07:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
Sathnam Sanghera can remember pretending to speak English on his first day at school, lest he give away that he could only speak Punjabi. Today, he’s the prolific writer behind numerous works including Empireland, Empireworld, The Boy With The Top Knot and Marriage Material.
In this episode of Word For Word, journalist Sophia Smith Galer speaks with the author and broadcaster about how language, empire, and migration intertwine. Sathnam reflects on growing up between Punjabi and English in Wolverhampton, and realising later in life how deeply empire shaped the language he writes in.
They discuss the strange afterlives of languages in diaspora communities, why immigrant families often preserve “time capsule” versions of their mother tongues, and how Punjabi words have quietly entered everyday English. The conversation also explores the contradictions of empire: how English could be both a tool of domination and a global bridge between cultures.
Sathnam’s forthcoming book on George Michael - Tonight The Music Seems So Loud - can be bought here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13258/9781035063871
You can order my book How To Kill A Language here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13258/9780008723729
This is a Viralect original podcast created by Sophia Smith Galer.
This episode was filmed by Omar Mehtab and Seren Jones was the Executive Producer.
Head to www.viralect.com to find our services and tools, and if you’ve got an iPhone, download the Sophiana app and take advantage of your free month using the code WORDFORWORD.
Chapters
00:00 – Growing up between Punjabi and English
05:30 – Diaspora languages and “time capsule” Punjabi
12:30 – Empire, English and borrowed words
25:00 – Accents, shame and linguistic identity
41:30 – Writing across cultures and curiosity
56:00 – Sophia’s language nerd quiz
01:02:00 – Why multilingualism enriches society
