In this fascinating TEDxAlBateen talk, Dr. Maryam Al Marashdah, linguist and researcher, explores how the way we speak carries the essence of who we are.Through her study of dialects — particularly the Shehi dialect — Dr. Maryam reveals how language is far more than words; it’s a living archive of identity, memory, and belonging. Each accent, tone, and phrase preserves generations of history and culture, quietly weaving the story of a people.She invites us to listen closely — to see how what may sound unfamiliar at first can become deeply familiar, and how dialects form our cultural DNA. In a rapidly changing world, her message is a timeless reminder: our voices hold the threads that tie us to our roots.Key ideas:Dialects as living archives of history and identity How diversity in speech strengthens belonging The Shehi dialect and its cultural significance Listening as a bridge between difference and understanding Language as a vessel of heritage in a modern worldRecorded live at TEDxAlBateen 2025 — themed “Threads of Us,” celebrating the connections that define identity, culture, and shared belonging.#TEDxAlBateen #DrMaryamAlMarashdah #ThreadsOfUs #Language #Identity #Culture #UAE #Linguistics #Belonging Dr. Maryam Bayshak Almarashda is a linguist and academic leader with more than two decades of teaching and research experience at the United Arab Emirates University. She served as Assistant Professor of Linguistics from 1991 to 2012 and held several leadership roles, including Dean of Students, Associate Dean for Language.She earned her PhD in Discourse Analysis from SOAS, University of London. Her research focuses on the historical and sociolinguistics of the UAE and the Gulf, producing studies on dialect reconstruction, speech communities, reduplication, and politeness in Emirati Arabic. She also pioneered work in cognitive and clinical linguistics, introducing the UAE’s first thematic application on aphasia.Dr. Maryam taught courses ranging from sociolinguistics and stylistics to language and the brain. Her academic journey included sabbaticals and research visits at Oxford, SOAS London, Sydney University, York University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx