#multicultural language

[theenglishnook]

Singlish blends British English with Asian languages, featuring expressive vocabulary, simplified grammar, and vibrant local identity. It’s a lively, multicultural evolution of English in Singapore.

[longreads]

In today’s new Longreads essay, Montserrat Andrée Carty writes about family and identity, growing up around different languages and cultures, and eventually embracing (and loving) her name over time.

We seek to become the truest version of ourselves, but what if there isn’t one true version, but multiple? Like father, like daughter, there are two versions of me.

At 5, I spoke all these languages fluently. Today, I only speak two of them, but understand all of them in some way, as they still live inside me.

Read her beautiful personal essay on Longreads.

[milli-moi]

Why does Rio speak Spanish?

So here’s a thought for everyone. I thought the Spanish from Rio was a cool nod to the origins of death as a personified thing.

One of the earliest personifications of death is Mexican, coming from the Aztec Goddess whose name was literally Lady of Death, or Lady Death. There is also Mayan mythology on death personified which would take the idea of Rio way back to BCE.

But then… doesn’t that mean that Rio would speak occasionally in her native language, not the language brought by colonisers but the original Mayan?

We don’t have enough understanding of the original Mayan language but it’s branched into multiple languages. I have read that Ch’orti is believed the closest, so wouldn’t it have been really cool if that’s the language that Rio randomly adds into conversation?

Her name is also Spanish which feels a bit odd in hindsight. I’m no expert in mesoamerican history so I might be wrong on some of the research I’ve done. I’m currently making a little comic thingy (which is taking longer than first planned) and I will have Rio speaking Ch’orti in it but if someone speaks ch’orti I’d LOVE the proper translation, and if anyone can give any more insight into if Ch’orti is the closest language to ancient Mayan then that would also be awesome

[wonwoodrivethru]

me every time i remember that english is becoming the global lingua franca 😑😑😑

[generallyunskilled]

Random fucking pet peeve I have that I gotta get off my chest but I can’t stand when I’m reading or watching something about fairy tales in media and they go “in the original version of Cinderella” and they start talking about the Brothers Grimm Aschenputtel. Drives me nuts because

a) it’s not the fucking original version of Cinderella.

b) the concept of a fairy tale that resembles the story we now call Cinderella predates Aschenputtel by eons.

c) very little of what happens in Aschenputtel ever occurs in modern Cinderella adaptations to the point it is disingenuous to compare the two, because

d) MOST MODERN CINDERELLA ADAPTATIONS ARE ADAPTING CHARLES PERRAULT’S CENDRILLON WHICH IS OBJECTIVELY A DIFFERENT TALE! IT IS THE ONLY VERSION THAT CONTAINS THE ASPECT OF A FAIRY GODMOTHER, AND DOES NOT INCLUDE MANY ASPECTS OF ASCHENPUTTEL. THE OMITTED ASPECTS WERE NOT REMOVED BY THOSE ADAPTING THE STORY BECAUSE IT PREDATES ASCHENPUTTEL BY CENTURIES!

e) CENDRILLON IS ALSO EXPLICITLY STATED TO BE THE VERSION ADAPTED IN THE WALT DISNEY ANIMATED FILM, AND WAS ALSO THE BASIS FOR MOST EARLY FILM ADAPTATIONS, THE BASIS OF WHICH MOST MODERN CINDERELLA ADAPTATIONS ARE CREATED FROM!

[unremarkable-gods]

the reason i think that so many people describe the english language as clunky, awkward, and lacking emotionally vibrant words with depth and inensity is because of the commercialisation of the english language. words like 'awe' (and 'awesome', 'awe-inspiring') that used to cary the weight that comes with meaning reverence intermingled with fear and/or wonder, have become used in the mainstream overdescribing everyday expereinces and, worst of all, investment and purchasing oppertunities. many writers and authors have learned to circumvent that with use of tone (writing with a more formal tone means the words carry a weight more similar to that of their conception) and imagery. while it is no longer effective to simply say that something is 'awesome', it is effective to describe the feeling of words sticking in the back of your throat, as if kept in place by the invisible, immovable force of what you are whitnessing. or whatever.

[librarydeyo]

I don't speak Portuguese, but one time I was listening to a gamer's stream, Cellbit, in Portuguese at midnight while working on a project about strokes for my anatomy class

I got so focused that I forgot it was on, and when I started hearing it again my sleep deprived mind FLIPPED OUT for a good 10 seconds because it sounded like gibberish and I thought it was English.

I thought I was having a stroke, genuinely ㅠㅠ

[sentientcave]

Last line(s) challenge! Tagged by the one and only @glossysoap (if you have good taste go read her snippet of her Orc Price project because it is HOT)

Here's a little bit from chapter 6 of Retirement Party featuring poorly translated Spanish (If any friends or followers speak Spanish, especially Filipino Spanish (which has, notably, been on the decline for a long while, but it's the language that Dalisay and her grandmother have in common, since Dalisay doesn't speak Tagalog and Lola's English is so-so), and want to help me out, give me a holler. It's probably an unnecessary detail but we love unnecessary details here.)

Segment below the cut!

You're not sure what possesses you, but you get up, and you make him sit, and you go to fix his coffee and wrap a bag of frozen peas in a tea towel. When you turn around, he's reached across the table to pull your laptop closer, smiling at the camera when Lola claps her hands together, delighted.

"Es guapo, Dalisay. Pero no joven, ¿eh?" She says, laughing. He's handsome, Dalisay. But not young, huh?

"No," he agrees, "soy demasiado mayor para ella. Todavía soy lo suficientemente egoísta como para intentarlo de todos modos.” I'm too old for her. I'm still selfish enough to try anyway.

You set down the coffee and glare at him. But you still gently set the ice pack on his raised ankle, squeaking as he pulls you into his lap, sitting you on his other thigh. "John!" You protest.

"Oh, relájate, apo,” Lola chides, laughing, unhelpfully reading the situation just the way John wants her to. She seems impressed by John's accented Spanish, happy to not need to use English to speak with him. "Yo también fui joven una vez. Me preocupaba que ella nunca encontrara a alguien.” Oh lighten up, apo. I was young once too. I was worried she would never find someone.

"No es que ella no pudiera,” John says. "Ella es tan hermosa, pero mantiene la distancia." It's not that she couldn't. She's so beautiful, but she keeps her distance.

Tagging (no pressure): @dragonnarrative-writes , @mortuarywriting and @charliemwrites

[hebrewbyinbal]

Growing up in Israel, a land that's an incredible mosaic of cultures, religions, and viewpoints, has given me a unique vantage point on tolerance and open-mindedness.

In this small but immensely diverse country, you find an entire range from Orthodox to secular Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, and many others living side by side. And let me tell you, it's not always a rose garden.

We have our struggles, our tensions, but at the same time, there's this amazing cultural richness that comes from such diversity.

I've learned that tolerance isn't just about coexisting; it's about understanding and embracing the human tapestry around us.

It's the curious conversations you have with your Arab neighbor about their Ramadan traditions.

It's the way secular and religious communities come together in times of need.

Open-mindedness here is not just a virtue; it's an inherent part of the Israeli landscape.

When you're open to understanding others' deeply ingrained beliefs and customs—even if you don't adopt them—you're creating a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and even friendship.

In Israel, tolerance and open-mindedness are often challenged, no doubt. But it's in these very challenges that their importance becomes crystal clear.

We are a small nation with a large footprint in the world's consciousness, often under a microscope for our politics and conflicts.

However, on a person-to-person level, we embody a fascinating blend of tolerance and open-mindedness that I wish more people could experience firsthand.

This aspect of Israeli culture has taught me that even when there are deep divides, there's always a bridge—a human bridge—that can bring us closer together.

[dangmelearner]

Normal exchange of words in our house:

Dad: O he ne so!

Son: I am hurrying up!!

Mom: Mitä nyt?

Son: Nothing…

I might have butchered the Dangme spelling here. I just love how my son is able to navigate the three languages even though he chooses to speak only English. He still understands a bit. And that is beautiful.

In addition to Dangme and Finnish he learns Fante, French and Chinese at school. That’s why I choose not to worry that he is not more verbal in Dangme or Finnish. Poor guy is having to learn 6 languages. If he gets through this sane that is an achievement. 😅

[jocrude]

Okay drunken hot take but: It's the epoch of multiculturalism, of globalism, of the internet. It's almost a sign of entitlement not to make at least a small effort to learn another language. Like, I still count myself as thoroughly monolingual but I can at least pronounce, understand, and figure out through context clues some basic Spanish and German, just by virtue of growing up partly in LA and taking a couple years of German in High School. There's a whole world of culture out there, thousands of years of it from billions upon billions of different people, you're doing your mind and your heart a disservice if you constrict yourself to one language only.

[th3houseofleaves]

thinking abt dove and jason having similar ways of saying things + similar accents bc they grew up in the same area but the way they both sound is still rlly distinct and different.

bc dove grew up around their dad who wasn't originally from gotham & had a way different accent so dove picked that up and they have a weird mix of their dad's accent + a park row accent and it sounds rlly nice and fits their voice well if that makes sense.

and jason is the king of code switching fr. bc he normally has a very OBVIOUS accent it is CLEAR he grew up in park row but he's also rlly good at muting / hiding it depending on who he's around. he got rlly good at it when he first started going to school after bruce adopted him bc he was already getting picked on for different shit he figured it'd help if he sounded like he belonged. it kept him from getting judged too harshly at school and at events he'd go to with bruce. & that version of him + his accent is kind of his default when he's working (more so as robin, as red hood he falls somewhere in between both versions bc it helps he be taken seriously). if he's comfortable enough or tired enough or he just doesn't care he won't bother to hide it

[imflyingfish]

.

[ingued]

The multilingual experience is speaking something other than your first language and feeling demeaned since your speaking skills are much more narrow, and you don’t have the ability to express your actual feelings, intelligence and opinions because you just don’t have the words

Just to use english as an example: yes, I promise that I usually don’t say “like” as a placeholder every other sentence when speaking, but your own native language is the only merit of measurement you have when speaking to me so you have no way of knowing that

Tfw when you’re fluent enough to speak your second or third language properly but not well enough to sound like you’re above the age of eight

[pathfinderswiftpen]

I heard 6 different languages tonight at my semi-rural Walmart and nearly cried for joy

[this-is-my-main-i-follow-from]

I'm not jewish but jewish people have some of the best words around. Mazel Tov? Incredible. Jewish people I love you.