Talanoa

Hello and welcome to Word of the Week! I’m your host, Liz. This podcast is dedicated to words and phrases that are untranslatable into English. Let’s discover the nuance of the world’s languages, shall we? 

This week’s word is talanoa. A Hindi word that means ‘idle talk as a social adhesive’. But this word isn’t used much on the subcontinent. It’s actually a Fiji-Hindi word. And it’s used commonly in Samoa. Places like Samoa and Fiji aren’t cultural islands. Hindi as a language came to Fiji during British rule in India, when the Brits sent indentured laborers to work the cotton and sugar plantations. And well, the Hindu language came along with them. 

This influenced the culture of Polynesia. And brought about words and ideas like talanoa, or idle social talk. Humans love to talk. It’s a universal human behavior to want to talk in an idle and social manner. Speech is an effective tool for communicating vital facts, like legal truths or political viewpoints, but it is at its utmost a social adhesive. 

Chitchat, gossip, it’s just as important as more structured or formal communication. It might be even more important. It’s an act of community building. Anthropologists and linguists alike have studied the phenomenon. If you are consistently updating your peers on how your in-laws are doing, or what your children are learning at school, or of the various ways to cook vegetables, then you are consistently letting your peers know that you’re there and one of them. 

Perhaps we can see this side of any “water cooler” conversations happening at work. We might increase its value, in terms of seeing our neighbors and co-workers as part of our community. Strengthening communities starts with run-ins at the market and taking the time for talanoa. 

Here’s to this week… May you all endeavor to adopt this Word of the Week and see the world a little bit differently. I’ll be back next week with a new word. Thank you for listening!