WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Hi. NOTE Paragraph 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Audience: Hi. NOTE Paragraph 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Poet Ali. I want to ask you guys a question. How many languages do you speak? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is not a rhetorical question. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I actually want you to think of a number. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For some of you, it's pretty easy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Inside your head, you're like, "It's one. You're speaking it, buddy. I'm done." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Others of you maybe are wondering if the language that an ex-boyfriend 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or an ex-girlfriend taught you where you learned all the cuss words, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if it counts, go ahead and count it. Be nice to yourself. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When I ask myself the question, I came up with four, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 arguably five if I've been drinking. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [in Italian?] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Cheers) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Cheers. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But on closer examination, I came up with 83, 83 languages, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I got tired and I stopped counting, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and it forced me to revisit 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this definition that we have of language.