Linguist: My 'crime scene' is language, not a textbook page

Linguist Robertas Kudirka sees his work not just as academic study but as an investigation into the very fabric of human communication. He was drawn to linguistics not by formal language, but by the raw, unfiltered way people actually speak. "I was fascinated by living language, not textbook language," he recalls.

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A linguist is also a researcher, but their 'crime scene' is language.

Kudirka draws a parallel between traditional heroic professions and his own work, stating, "A linguist is also a researcher, but their 'crime scene' is language." He finds the most authentic linguistic expressions in prison jargon and drug slang, viewing them as honest windows into social realities, power structures, and even fears. "Official language often masks, while jargon, conversely, reveals social realities, power relations, and even fears. It is a very honest layer of language," he explains.

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I was fascinated by living language, not textbook language.

He is inspired by the creativity within slang, noting that "sometimes you even catch yourself thinking that the standard language lacks such vitality." While acknowledging the use of profanity, Kudirka, who has been named best lecturer, believes context is key. "A status doesn't so much obligate one 'not to use' [swear words] as it teaches one to choose the time and place. In an informal context, a swear word can also be a stylistic device."

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Official language often masks, while jargon, conversely, reveals social realities, power relations, and even fears. It is a very honest layer of language.

Regarding the influx of Anglicisms among young people, Kudirka remains pragmatic. "Language has always borrowed and will continue to borrow. Anglicisms are not the enemy. The problem arises when borrowings become a substitute for thinking, rather than an addition," he observes. To recharge after intense research and lectures, he turns to nature and physical activity. "Hiking or sports satisfy a very basic need – to be in the body, not just in the head. In the lecture hall, you work with abstractions, but in nature, everything is concrete: smell, sound, fatigue. It restores balance," he says, admitting that he can never fully switch off his linguist's brain, even when eavesdropping on conversations in a cafe.

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Language has always borrowed and will continue to borrow. Anglicisms are not the enemy. The problem arises when borrowings become a substitute for thinking, rather than an addition.