Conversation with a Polyglot
I first discovered Khadidja Djibrine aka @itsnotkadi on Twitter, where someone had retweeted a video she made on TikTok onto my timeline. It was a commentary on the American pronunciation of some middle eastern words. Naturally, I was interested. I followed her. I found, later, that most of her videos had something to do with her multilingual background which was more diverse than I had imagined. Africans, after all, speak at least two languages by the time they become adults: at least one local language, and at least one international language.
Khadidja speaks about seven languages, some African, some Asian, and some Middle Eastern, and some European, many of which she learnt by watching television. This was even more fascinating. In the age of technology-enhanced language learning apps, it was interesting to see that there were still reliable opportunities for language acquisition using older technological media.
And so I wanted to talk to her. The following is a result of our chat on the subject, conducted over twitter and Google docs. Khadidja is a graduate of Commerce from a university in India. She currently lives in California, where she aspires to be a big television star.
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Hey Kadi. It’s nice to talk to you.
Hey Kola, it’s my pleasure to talk to you.
Your full name is not “Kadi”, of course. What is it? And why did you choose Kadi?
My full name is Khadidja Djibrine, I use Kadi because it’s easier to say it and also because it’s my initials.
What does Khadidja mean? In Nigeria we typically spell is as “Khadija”
It’s the prophet Mohammed’s wife’s name. It’s spelled like that in Chad because of French.
I like your videos, and your language obsession. It’s beautiful.
Thank you so much.
I first came across you on the TikTok videos on Twitter, and the ones that caught my attention were the ones where you talk about the languages you speak, and other language attitudes. First, how many languages do you speak? And how did you acquire them each?
I speak 7 languages fluently (Chadian, Arabic, French, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Urdu) and I am learning 3 currently (Chinese Mandarin, Farsi and Marathi).
I acquired Chadian and French at home because we speak them in Chad, where I am from originally. The other 5 languages I learned from watching TV shows and listening to music.
Did you speak all these languages before you left or did this interest start after you left the country?
YES! I spoke English, French, Chadian, Arabic and Hindi before I left Chad. I started learning languages in 2007.
But you also lived in India, you said.
Yes, for school from 2010–2013. But I spoke Hindi before going to India. It sure helped me practice and intensify my Hindi by being around Indians, I won’t lie.
I’m trying to see if it was the language interest that took you to India.
It was my love for Bollywood and India that actually took me there, but after reaching India, I realized there was racism there: they don’t accept blacks as main actors so I decided to go to college there instead. (Obviously, my parents aren’t aware of that or they would have never let me go to India lol).
Ah, I see. Is Hausa spoken in Chad?
In some areas, yes.
Haven’t heard you mention that.
It’s because I don’t speak it.
What’s “Chadian”?
It’s the common Arabic kind of language spoken in Chad.
A-ha! It’s Chadian Arabic then, influenced by both Arabic and French.
Yes. But only Chadians and some Sudanese understand it. Arabs from the rest of the world would not understand Chadian Arabic.
I think it’s called “Shuwa Arabic”.
What’s that?
Another name for Chadian Arabic. That’s what I found on Wikipedia. But I’ve heard it called that in my linguistics class, years ago.
I did not know that. This is the first time I am hearing it. You love languages too? How many do you speak and what are they?
Yes. I speak a few Nigerian languages, some French and some Swahili. I can read Korean but don’t yet understand it.
Masha’Allah.
What does ‘Masha’Allah’ mean? I know I could Google it but I don’t want to cheat.
Masha’Allah means “God has willed” but it is also used to express praise and or appreciation. It is WOW.
So you moved to California after your studies in India?
Yes, I live in California now.
And what do you do there?
I’m an interpreter/translator and an aspiring actor.
I’m fascinated by the idea that you acquired languages by watching TV. That’s remarkable. Many of us have used learning apps like Duolingo, and still aren’t fluent. What am I doing wrong?
Thank you, you are not doing anything wrong. It is very crucial to know the way we learn. Some people learn by reading, some by going to classes and others by watching TV. Only after we find out what our best way to learn is, will we be able to excel.
So how does it work, really? Watching TV, you only hear what moves the plot forward. Do you then combine it with reading? Do you have a dictionary to go to in order to confirm what you’re watching? I mean, I assume that, by watching TV, I can learn how a language is spoken, the cadence, etc. But language acquisition is more than that. You need to know the meaning of what you’re saying. What other tools do you use?
YES! It absolutely does, especially for me. I usually start watching cartoons first when learning a language with the subtitles ON. Because I would want to understand it, I start with easy grammar then I jump to watching a show in that language slowly.
When I realize eventually that I understand enough then I give myself the challenge of homework. I start befriending people who speak the language I am learning and practice with them until one day, boom, I am fluent.
What languages did you find easiest to learn, and which did you find most difficult?
The easiest ones to learn for me were English and Hindi. Chinese Mandarin is the most difficult one.
What’s the difference between Hindi and Urdu in your experience?
The main difference is in writing. But also Urdu has more respect (formal) and more Arabic/Farsi words than Hindi.
Did this make it easier or more difficult for you to learn? I assume you learnt Hindi first.
Yes I learnt Hindi first. No! It actually makes it very easy. I learned that after the 5 languages I learned the others have become only easier. Except Chinese lol.
So you’re one of those who believe that Hindi and Urdu are basically the same languages with some minor differences?
No. I believe that they are almost the same.
Don’t tell a Pakistani person that oo. They’d be very upset.
They know that it’s true. My best friend is Pakistani and she agrees.
In which of these languages you speak are you most fluent? Which one do you revert to when you dream or when you’re angry, for instance?
I am most fluent in Hindi, English, Urdu, Chadian and French. When angry it’s Chadian obviously because it is my mother tongue but when dreaming it depends. I find myself dreaming in different languages.
I assume these are also the ones in which you translate.
Affirmative.
Chad is a multilingual country like Nigeria. What impact did this environment have on your attitude to language? Or is this just a result of your own personal idiosyncrasy. I mean, most Africans speak at least two languages (one, their local language, and at least one international/colonial language). But you have taken it further.
While growing up, coming from a strict Muslim family, I was not allowed to go out much. My house and my television were my best friends. I would watch TV until I fall asleep. My love for different languages helped me embrace different cultures. This is a result of my own personal idiosyncrasy.
What particular shows did you watch?
Disney shows such as Hannah Montana, That’s so Raven and the news when learning English. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was my show when learning Hindi besides the movies and reality shows such as Roadies and Coffee with Karan.
How did you get into TikTok anyway? And how did you find this language niche as something you found that people would like?
To be honest, I made a TikTok account just so that I can watch others at first.
Ah, of course.
Later I saw a trend about “Check” such as: Rich girl check, hot mom check etc… so I felt compelled to make a Polyglot check.
And what has been the response of people to your language videos?
People have been loving it. I didn’t know people admired polyglots. I believe that it made it more sexy and accessible.
What has been the most memorable feedback you’ve got from viewers?
“You inspire me to learn more languages.”
That must feel nice. Which is your most popular video till date?
My most popular video is my polyglot video (above). It has been shared by so many people.
I also wanted to ask you something about language attitudes. You’re a person of colour, from an Arabic-speaking part of the world. I assume California is a liberal place, but what effect do you think your multilingualism had on your integration into the American society? How did it help you navigate moving to a new place?
The effect would be, finding myself walking into restaurants or shops to buy something and easily talk with the employee/owner of the place in their native languages which always was beneficial to me. Sometimes I end up getting a discount or even get the merchandise for free. Very seldom the latter happens though but I still appreciate it and enjoy it LOL. Wherever I go I feel like I have a family.
Have people ever spoken a language around you that they don’t know you understand?
Haha YES! It happens very often. Mostly people will be complimenting me but I was once at a Middle Eastern restaurant by myself and there was this Arab dude sitting next to me with his friends. He said “MashAllah Helwa, Allah Alek Es Alha Tajlis Ma Ana” to his friend. Which means “ God she’s cute, please ask her to sit with us” I just smiled while pretending to be on my phone.
Ha ha. What a huge ego boost that must have been.
Haha, it kind of was, to be honest.
Ever experienced anything negative similar to this?
YES! In India in 2011 I have experienced it. I even made a storytime about it on Tiktok. It was in Goa city by the beach. A couple of friends were talking about how my buttocks are big and if I weren’t black they’d hook up with me. I walked up to the one talking and grabbed him by his collar and said “Kya Bol Raha Tha, Benchod! ”Which translates to “What are you saying motherf*cker” He then responded “Aaapko Hindi Aata hai?” which means “Oh my God you speak Hindi?” He was shocked and almost fainted. His friends told him to apologize which he did and I left. I spoke about it here.
Lol. By the way, I saw you just wrote Arabic with the Roman script rather than the usual Arabic script. Many languages have had to adapt this way to cope with modern technology. Is Chadian Arabic typically written with Arabic script or with the Roman script?
Good question. I do not know to be honest but ever since I spoke it, it was in Roman script.
Do you use Google Translate at all? What has been your experience with the languages you’ve learnt? It has not always been very efficient with African languages, I’ve found.
Yes, I use Google Translate sometimes but only to translate words not sentences. I have found it to be inefficient when translating phrases and paragraphs.
Have you ever used a language learning app, even if out of curiosity? How would you rate them?
Yes I did out of curiosity try two apps, one called Busuu and Duolingo. Busuu is better than Duolingo lessons/learning-wise, but Duolingo has more languages.
What types of lessons were on Busuu that you couldn’t find on Duolingo?
I couldn’t find a voice learning option on Duolingo. Just pictures with words. How is that going to help a beginner know how to pronounce?
When I tried to learn French and Spanish on Duolingo, it had sounds though. At least it pronounced sentences to me.
Yes, it does sentences sometimes but not every time. Never is there sounds for single words though.
I see. What do you do currently? And how does your social media life/fame fit into it?
I do translation/Interpretation and in my free time, I model and act because I love entertainment. My current social media life fit into my current occupation by reaching people and possibly inspiring them.
Where do you act? Sounds like we might find you in a Hollywood flick sometime soon?
I act in front of my camera so far LOL. I have been extra in some YouTubers videos and have been in music videos. You might just see me one day in a Hollywood flick or even Bollywood. We never know.
Are there any other languages you wish to learn? Which are they and what steps are you taking to learn them?
Yes! Farsi, Mandarin and Marathi. By the same steps I have always used: music and television.
Thank you for your time, Khadidja.
Thank you for having me.
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You can find Khadidja on Twitter as well, at @itsnotkadi
See my earlier Conversation with a Conlanger here.
