While I did my digging to get my bearings around all the intricate and layered references from Top Boy, I was awakened to the true scale of the role of language in my life. I had loads of realizations, but the lightbulb moment for me was acknowledging the power of curiosity and the extent to which it leads to unimagined and unexpected places. Out of nowhere, I became obsessed with the whole historical and cultural background that lies at the heart of one of the most striking and multicultural boroughs in London: Hackney.
Should you need any further explanation on this, I am confident it may be worth a visit to my last Substack post, where I spared no effort to provide an exhaustive and comprehensive analysis of language, history, and cultural intricacies embedded in Top Boy. Yet, I dissected its subtleties and the emotions it stirred up while I was completely immersed in this story.
In this episode, you will find an unplanned and unrehearsed conversation, where I showcase spontaneity and messy English. This is primarily aimed at building a friendly and safe environment for learners to see the importance of airing their ideas without being too tough on themselves. At times, I lose the train of thought; I rephrase sentences; I check out information; I convey emotions; I mispronounce words; I forget words; I play with language, and I try out language. I basically do everything we may expect from human beings and from a truly spontaneous chat with friends.
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