Beyond the Lecture: Martin Puchner Tries to Save a Dying Language

Literary historian Martin Puchner's journey with languages started early and unexpectedly: a series of seemingly unconnected events led to his discovery that he was the last speaker of an almost forgotten medieval language, Rotwelsch. In his research into what this language was — where it came from, who spoke it, and why — Puchner was forced to confront the good and the bad in his own family's history and how he would choose to inherit the Rotwelsch legacy. Host: R. Jay Magill, Producer: Tony Andrews, Photo: Annette Hornischer, Music: "Mischief" and "Neugierig" by Ryan Rainer; "I Leaned My Back Against an Oak" by Axletree; "Jolenta Clears The Table" by Doctor Turtle.