"I speak Urdu quite a lot, too, and I read a lot of Persian"

Juan Cole’s statement, “I speak Urdu quite a lot, too, and I read a lot of Persian,” reveals far more than a simple description of his linguistic abilities. Embedded within these words is an implication of scholarly depth, cultural immersion, and a bridge between traditions. Urdu and Persian, while linguistically distinct, share a deep historical and literary connection; both have been pivotal languages in the intellectual and poetic worlds of South and Central Asia. For a scholar, fluency in these languages is not merely utilitarian but an access key to rich tapestries of civilization, allowing first-hand engagement with a multitude of texts, concepts, and artistic expressions in their original forms.

Knowing Urdu “quite a lot” suggests a degree of comfort that goes beyond basic acquisition; it points to lived experience, perhaps interactions with speakers in everyday contexts or deep forays into the literary and intellectual landscapes of the subcontinent. Urdu, with its intricate poetic traditions like ghazal and its resonant history in South Asian sociopolitics, can only truly be appreciated and analyzed when one is able to not only translate but inhabit those linguistic spaces. Cole evokes this with his casual reference to frequent usage.

His experience with Persian literature, which he characterizes as something he “reads a lot,” is equally significant. Persian, foundational to much Islamic philosophy, poetry, and historiography, especially across Iran, Central Asia, and into the Indian subcontinent, gives access to classic works, Rumi, Saadi, Hafez, allowing for engagement with ideas in their original ambiance, with all the nuances of style and context that translations can dull.

Taken together, Cole’s language skills intimate a crossing of boundaries, both geographic and intellectual. By mastering Urdu and reading Persian, he signals an ability to blur the lines between cultures, time periods, and schools of thought, an approach essential for nuanced and respectful scholarship of the region. His linguistic breadth is not only a professional asset, but a manifestation of intellectual empathy and genuine engagement with the peoples and histories he studies.