Rebecca explores the irony of being a linguistics expert who can't speak her heritage language. From childhood poetry books to a Columbia thesis on Sri Lankan linguistic identity, she examines what it means to find your voice when caught between languages - able to read Sinhala letters but not understand their meaning, teaching English to Sinhala speakers, and navigating identity questions in a post-colonial world where language equals power.
Key themes: Heritage language loss, linguistic identity, post-colonial language politics, finding voice through academic study, the gap between technical knowledge and lived experience.
