Languages and Exophony
Starting with a confession.
I have a hard time expressing my thoughts in one-seul language.
That is I'm a trilingual speaker of English, French, and Japanese but in order to draw my thoughts out, I am having daily struggles in thinking with what one language I have to use to best present my thoughts.
It is not that I have a luxury of choosing the plate of the day and freely pick either from menu of French, English or Japanese. It is more that I have to eat Yorkshire pudding beside the seaweed wrapped rice with sauce Béchamel on top of everything in order to express my whole concept of my thoughts, all mixed and intertwined.
Some concepts are best expressed in English for example when describing the depth of comedy and tragedy of life in simple words or if in Japanese if you wanted to tell the beauty of four seasons passing and zest of enjoying the harvest from each or in French if you are going down deep into thoughts discussing philosophy like Existentialism, pourquoi suis je ici.
However, yet, for my case they are complimentary to each other, they are supporting for each other. One language supports the other in order to make out the meaning and presenting my points. Every time I write a piece even for this blog, I'm striving my hardest to stick to one language, for today it is English but if it was a personal journal and if I'm allowed to be completely free in thoughts, I'd feel no boundaries with different languages simultaneously jumbling on a same paragraph.
There's a word for writers writing in a language that is not their native tongue, Exophony. (Here is a list of exophonic writers.) I heard there are some writers who would write the first drafts in foreign languages then translate it to their native language. It must be that concepts and topics will choose the language, that are best thought out, explained and presented only by that choice.
I read once people in Polynesia have more than 50 words to describe the condition of ocean, the moves of water and waves. Likewise Inuit people have more words on ice and snow than people from any other lands.
The real effort of Exophonic writers is that they are constantly translating and interpreting in themselves. From the hard battle comes expressions of gold that transcends all languages, then the differences are no longer barriers.
That's where I want to reach too.
I have a hard time expressing my thoughts in one-seul language.
That is I'm a trilingual speaker of English, French, and Japanese but in order to draw my thoughts out, I am having daily struggles in thinking with what one language I have to use to best present my thoughts.
It is not that I have a luxury of choosing the plate of the day and freely pick either from menu of French, English or Japanese. It is more that I have to eat Yorkshire pudding beside the seaweed wrapped rice with sauce Béchamel on top of everything in order to express my whole concept of my thoughts, all mixed and intertwined.
Some concepts are best expressed in English for example when describing the depth of comedy and tragedy of life in simple words or if in Japanese if you wanted to tell the beauty of four seasons passing and zest of enjoying the harvest from each or in French if you are going down deep into thoughts discussing philosophy like Existentialism, pourquoi suis je ici.
However, yet, for my case they are complimentary to each other, they are supporting for each other. One language supports the other in order to make out the meaning and presenting my points. Every time I write a piece even for this blog, I'm striving my hardest to stick to one language, for today it is English but if it was a personal journal and if I'm allowed to be completely free in thoughts, I'd feel no boundaries with different languages simultaneously jumbling on a same paragraph.
There's a word for writers writing in a language that is not their native tongue, Exophony. (Here is a list of exophonic writers.) I heard there are some writers who would write the first drafts in foreign languages then translate it to their native language. It must be that concepts and topics will choose the language, that are best thought out, explained and presented only by that choice.
I read once people in Polynesia have more than 50 words to describe the condition of ocean, the moves of water and waves. Likewise Inuit people have more words on ice and snow than people from any other lands.
The real effort of Exophonic writers is that they are constantly translating and interpreting in themselves. From the hard battle comes expressions of gold that transcends all languages, then the differences are no longer barriers.
That's where I want to reach too.
