I’ve always loved watching a language stretch its wings. One of the most surprising shifts for me was with Quechua. For a long time it was mainly a rural, oral language—used in songs, ceremonies, and everyday village life. Then I started noticing it pop up in national news broadcasts, government meetings, and even in the lyrics of mainstream pop songs that were topping the charts. It wasn’t just a cultural footnote anymore; it became a tool for political expression and modern identity. Seeing Quechua transition from a heritage language to a living, official medium made me rethink its place in the world and reminded me how fluid language identity can be.

I’m reminded of what happened with the Palauan language a few years back. For decades it was spoken only in a handful of villages, used in family stories and the occasional church service. Then a small tech startup based in Palau decided to build its app entirely in Palauan, insisting on a native interface for the island’s residents. Suddenly, Palauan went from a niche, oral tongue to the language of a user‑friendly app that people downloaded every day. Seeing that tiny language leap into everyday digital life was a surprise I still feel the day I first saw it.