#idk i just like polyglot America

[goldenstarprincesses]

Idk care if I get sent to fandom jail for this but....America 100% speaks fluent French

[catchyhuh]

LUP AND LANGUAGE!!

just our special guy today because i’ve realized i have very complex thoughts about my main man’s polyglotism and the way i see it utilized in canon and in fan work from time to time. i will be rambling, i will be going off target, this is a promise SO LET'S GO!

so baseline, lupin was bilingual from almost birth, with the whole mixed upbringing and all. so we know that, from the start. french dad, japanese mom, you-- i mean it would be jarring to somehow not know a lick of either. I MEAN THEY GOTTA TALK TO THE BABY SOMEHOW

when he was about 4, the Horrors began. you can’t be much of an international thief only speaking two languages that are… really only primarily spoken in their countries of origin (canadian french is very different you know) so they started piling on more: spanish, italian, english, german, they tried cantonese too, but he had so much trouble with the tones that they dialed it down to mandarin, and he… still had trouble with the tones, because even as an adult that’s a LOT of voice control that he tends to lose when he’s overly happy or upset. so yeah it was hard for a FOUR year old to manage it

it’s kind of funny though; the first language he could really speak was japanese, and the language he usually defaults to, the language he THINKS in, is STILL japanese. all those language courses just for him to stick to ol’ reliable

however, certain words pop up in french first for him; usually numbers. by the time he was learning to count, his dad was more adamant about him speaking french more, so numbers (and colors) register as french in his head before he runs them through a little translator in his head and goes “TWENTY” at top volume. if somebody is describing a math problem to him in japanese, even though he’s most comfortable IN that language, he has to redo the whole thing in his head in french to really get his answer. yes, it’s miserable for him

the language he speaks SECOND most often is usually english, but more for a comedic beat than anything. ironically, lupin uses english the way some english speakers use french, in a way to be goofy and overdramatic about mundane shit. but also if you buy into the “jigen was born in america” thing then it just makes even MORE sense he’d be speaking it semi-often

the thing about his french is that while it’s still deeply ingrained into him, he… very rarely sees it come up in interactions. even when IN france, he sort of subconsciously removes his personal connection to it out of the picture. it’s like speaking portuguese in brazil, or speaking russian in, uh, russia. more of a needed skill than a part of HIM, really. in order to truly unlock his French Mode, he’d need to be around someone speaking french OUTSIDE of france, because, weird as it may sound, that’s just how he’s connected to it. and then he’d talk to them for a bit, start slipping into it naturally, and he might accidentally lock himself into it for an hour or so after they’re done talking. this is really the only kind of instance that gets him to slip up around any of the other four, because in his mind, why would he be speaking in french when he knows he can better communicate with the sorry bastard in front of him in another language?

i leave you with one final note to a question you could maybe be having idk: so, how many languages CAN lupin speak? and the answer to that is uh. i don’t know. many. whatever is plot relevant. are we like counting piglatin too or

[the-lark-ascending69]

Now I'm thinking about a His Dark Materials x Stranger Things AU and the similarities are just enough for it to make a lot of sense but both stories have so much material (pun intended) in them that I don't even know where to start, other than with the fact that the scientists and Brenner and everyone is the Magisterium, Will is taken by the Gobblers/the General Oblation Board, El is probably from Will's World (Will Parry's world, not to be confused with Will Byers - there are just too many Wills here), and she doesn't have a visible dæmon. Barb is a bit too old to be taken by the Gobblers - she probably got caught finding information she shouldn't know and they got rid of her. I feel like the Byers would be gyptians, too, living in a gyptian boat. Henry Creel was probably the one to first open a gate between world by ripping himself apart from his own dæmon, and that's part of how he kills people - severing from their dæmons, killing them, opening a gate. The parallels are just too strong!

But I wouldn't set it in Europe like the original books... I would set it in North America, in their canon location.

The Globetrotter's Map shows that the United States does not exist in this world - instead you get New Denmark, Texas, and Beringia (Alaska), bordering Hispania Nova to the south and New France to the north. That would make them New Danish, right? And maybe the only General Oblation Board facility is in Svalbard and they need to go all the way across New France and Greenland to get there, or maybe this time around there's a facility in Beringia, or simply in the New French far north. Somewhere far away, hopefully where you can see the northern lights. I like that idea, to keep it more North America inspired.

After whatever experiments they perform on Will, he can separate from his dæmon like a witch, but it also kind of feels like his dæmon can cross worlds without need for a portal, and this happens unexpectedly and without them being able to control it. El, of course, is considered an aberration since she does not have a dæmon, but the party pretty quickly figures that she does - it's just "inside of her".

Jonathan is maybe a photographer who got his hands on some special equipment to photograph dust - something he shouldn't be allowed to own. Steve is on his way to joining the Magisterium's law enforcement arm, though he quickly realizes how horrible the Magisterium really is. Jason is the one who stays there and continues to rise through the ranks. Eddie is the town heretic who just wants to enjoy his fantasy books - banned by the Magisterium for promoting subversive ideas about God, or just not having God be present, or whatever. He has a small secret fantasy reading club where he and the boys like to enjoy forbidden literature about dragons and knights and play board games based on them. The town does not like it. El can communicate directly with Dust. She's like a human alethiometer. Robin is New Denmark's most dangerous polyglot who just accidentally intercepted some weird messages on the radio in multiple different languages about missing children in Beringia. Hopper used to work for the Magisterium as a law enforcer until his daughter mysteriously disappeared and they refused to give him an answer. Max is just there to punch God in the face.

It's almost 6 am and I haven't had any sleep so idk if this makes sense... but it makes sense in my little heart

[outrunningthedark]

The Buck thing I can kinda understand. More like, I could see an scenario where his Spanish got so rusty he might not be comfortable using it around someone who speaks it. Cats know I didn’t feel comfortable using English for at least two years after I moved. And I tested out of ESL after a year. Because we know he spent the summer there but we don’t know if he was in a English bubble or if he actually learned some Spanish. I would love to see some Spanish from Buck tho, because that would be freaking awesome. I don’t expect it from the creators (who I think aren’t hispanic? I’ve seen pictures but dunno who they are) to have him using Spanish because at the end of the day he’s still an American white guy who happened to spend a summer in Peru. It’s pretty common for gringos to go to Latam and just... stay in their Anglo bubble (same thing can be said for hispanic in the US but that’s a different topic)

All of this being said, I just don’t get why wouldn’t they have Eddie talking in Spanish. Or Chimney and Albert in Korean? I get they both know perfect English but are you really gonna tell me two Korean men, who not only were born in Korea but one of them spent most of his life there, don’t speak in Korean to each other? Or with the Lee’s? In general the language thing always bothers me when it’s in California or New York (or even Texas) because it’s so goddamn diverse but a lot of times they present bilinguals or polyglots as just. People who speak English and sometimes throw a word in another. That if it isn’t placed as a comic relief thing (I love Sofia Vergara but her character in modern family is just... yeah).

Also I didn’t know Ana Flores’ actress WASNT Latina??? That’s so weird. I kinda also assumed she was just. Idk. Maybe fourth generation or something so she’s a bit Latina but isn’t as familiar with it. Kinda weird considering her character is basically just being Latina?

Btw found your blog today and love it

Nonnie, you are welcome on my blog anytime! I enjoy your takes.

I don’t want to add too much to this because I’ve never been in your shoes, but I tend to view an emphasis on the English language in a tv series/film based in states like California or Texas as a reflection of our society. “You’re in America! Speak English!” says the racist from San Antonio. 😑

&I would never lie to you about the fake Latina, my friend!

“No, I am mixed. I am black and Irish. But I grew up with a lot of Mexican friends. I would hang out a lot with them and go to quinceañeras and stuff like that in Chicago. My mom would always tease me and say I wanted to be Mexican. I’ve been an honorary Mexican since I was nine years old!”

The most awkward part about this, of course, is that she’s pretending to be Mexican...while sharing scenes with a Mexican actor... 😬

[soft-butch-cassidy]

sorry if you didnt want an Actual Answer but heres one to ur ?s to the first hypothetical, the short answer is no bc theyre learning different pronunciations but the long answer is it depends on where they are and in what context theyre learning it. if the japanese person was learning at an international school, they would probably develop a fairly unaccented form of english. if they were learning by immersion, it probably be fairly accented as they are learning from how british people talk. 1/?

so if they were to be compared to someone in america in the accents, how similar they sound would be based on the context the person in america was taught english as well. theres a huge difference from learning how to speak a language from native speakers and from someone for whom english is a second/third/etc. language. the same thing applies to the next one. if the american and british person are learning in similar contexts, in all likelihood theyll sound similar. 2/?

the initial sound of someone learning a language trying to figure out how to pronounce things is less like an accent than it is them figuring shit out. so unless they really tried to make sure their accent was there or they didnt want to be rid of their accent, they would probably speak fairly similarly sounding french. idk anything abt polyglots in particular tho. 3????/?

if you want another example outside of a hypothetical, at an hs ive gone to, one of the teachers was from colombia and she taught spanish. all of her students learned spanish w her accent, while other spanish students w different teachers learned spanish from another native english speaker and picked up the usual quirks of english-speaker-learning-spanish and probably have accented spanish just bc they arent particularly inclined to getting rid of it bc no one really cared abt that. 4/4

this is super neat?? i love learning about this kind of stuff. language is such a fascinating topic thank you for all the cool info :O

[joie-university-rp]

Dear, BENJAMIN CLARINGTON,

It is with great pleasure we invite you admission to Joie University! Welcome to the Thunderclap family!

–

Congratulations, ADMIN O! Please be sure to check the New Members’ Checklist and send in your character’s account within 24 hours from now. We cannot wait to see all that you will bring to this roleplay! We love you already!

OOC INFORMATION:

Name/Alias; preferred pronouns: Admin O aka Moe (She/her)

Age, Timezone: 20, EST

Activity, short explanation: I’m just… always here, Man. Idk.

Ships: Benji/Male

Anti-Ships: Benji/Female

Triggers: RFP

Preferred photo for Character’s ID (please give a link): I’m making the damn things, lol.

Anything else: N/a

IC INFORMATION:

Full Name (First, Middle, Last): Benjamin ‘Benji’ Levi Clarington

FC: Tom Holland

Age: 18

Birth date: 31 Oct. 2000

Hometown: Toronto, CND

Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/him)

Sexuality: Homosexual

Major(s): Dance (Ballet focus)

Minor(s) [optional]: Education

Housing request (remember only the president of a Greek Organization is required to live at a Greek House to be in it!): Bieste 113

Extracurriculars (Click here for the list. Be sure to specify any executive board positions [i.e. president, secretary, etc.] If something isn’t listed, please put it here and we will add it to the masterlist!): Cheer Squad, Gymnastics, Free Running, Circus and Performing Club, LGBT+ Association (secretary)

Greek Life Affiliation [optional] (Please be sure to specify any executive board positions [i.e. president, pledge educator, etc.] or if your character is not yet a member, but plans to rush): Considering rushing AXi. Not quite decided.

CHARACTER PROFILE:

Although identifying as wholly cis-male, Benji has never had trouble using his clothing to express himself. Sometimes, he can be found wearing a straight-forward outfit of a hoodie and a pair of jeans. Other times, he’s seen wearing a skirt and his newest pair of Converse chucks. It just depends.

Benji is actually a product of Benji and Hunter’s father having an affair. Benji’s mother actually tried to keep her pregnancy a secret, but once this all came to light, in true Clarington fashion, their father sued Ms. Adelman, using the best lawyers money could buy, and gained full custody of Benji. Ms. Adelman was allowed very strict visitation rights for the first few years of Benji’s life, but not much after that. As a result, Benji has never seen Ms. Adelman as an actual mom and the two don’t stay in touch.

However, Benji decided at a young age that he was going to practice his biological mother’s religion of Judaism. Although he is by no means a strict orthodox, there are still a number of Jewish traditions that Ben makes a point to practice–such as avoiding pork, attending services every Friday, and never being seen without his kippah. He also attended Hebrew School when he was younger and, thanks to the Claringtons being well off, he was able to pay for tutors that taught him both Hebrew and Yiddish. As far as values go, Benji’s relationship with YHWH is one of the most (if not the most) important things to him.

Unlike Hunter, since Benji was a result of infidelity and Mr. Clarington felt a little guilty about suing Benj’s mom for full custody–she was an expensive escort, and Mr. Clarington knew Benji would have a  much better life with him–he did give Benji some liberties growing up. As long as Benji did Krav Maga and kept up with his studies, he was allowed other things he wanted (expensive ballet classes, tutors to learn Hebrew and Yiddish, any video game console he wanted, etc.).

Since the age of 7, Benji has been practicing ballet and other dance styles and his main career goal is to be a dancer/gymnastics performer of Cirque du Soleil. Once he retires, he wants to buy and run a dance studio of his own.

Benji is a polyglot–he is fluent in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Canadian French

STUDENT CENSUS SURVEY:

(Please answer the following questions IN CHARACTER. Responses can be as long or short as you see fit!)

What made you want to attend Joie University?

“Two big reasons! First off, I really wanted to go to school in America. As much as I love Canada, I really don’t feel like the dancing programs we have there really compare to the programs that you can find in the States.

Secondly, I wanted to go to the same school as my big brother Hunt. He’s, like, basically my biggest role model, so what easier way to make him proud than to go to the same school as him? (Also, I kinda just missed him being around everyday.)”

What are at least 3 positive or neutral and at least 3 negative traits that you believe you possess?

“Okay. So positively, I feel like I’m really empathetic. Like, I see and understand what others are feeling. I also think I’m fairly conscientious when it comes to most things. Learning physical forms like Krav Maga and ballet… you seriously to disciplined, and I feel like a lot of that comes from being bound to your conscience–which then rolls back into the way you treat people. My third positive trait is also neutral and kinda negative, depending on the situation: I’m a loyal dude. Like, to a fault. And while it’s nice at time, it also sometimes puts me in situations I’d rather not be. And, in the worst cases, it blows up in my face.

For negative, I have one really big one: I’m short-tempered. Not always, but there are definitely times where I just… break. Hard. And it’s seemingly random and, honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if some people see it as kinda scary. I can’t really explain it… maybe I get it from my mom’s side. Another thing (one that I think is positive, honestly, although others don’t agree) is that I’m brazen. Like, I say what I mean, I wear what I feel… I’m an open book, as much as I can be, and although that’s great, it’s also just… not, y’know? My other negative trait is that I’m immature a lot of the time. I’m not denying it, but I’m also just kinda questioning why that’s negative? I mean, who wants to drink black coffee and read newspapers all day? I’m 18 and I look like I’m 15, sorry not sorry that I wanna get tipsy and dance to Rihanna in my bedroom all day.”

Which of your traits do you value most?

“My loyalty. It gets me in trouble, but y’know what? That’s okay. If I feel something is worth part of me, I’ll give all of me. And I think that’s admirable.”

How can that trait benefit the University (or its student body) as a whole?

“I mean, I think I kinda already explained that! Loyalty means sticking together. Because, y’know, teamwork makes the dream work–all that jazz.”

What do you hope to gain from your experience at JU?

“A badass dance education, an even closer relationship with Hunt, a bunch of new friends, a soulmate, a new boyfriend, someone who’ll help me pick out clothes for a whole new wardrobe, a big break for my dream career, a pet dog once I’m able to live in Sylvester Apartments… I mean, basically I want JU to be the beginning of the rest of my life.”

What is a quote or song lyric that describes you?

“They tell us from the time we’re young, to hide the things that we don’t like about ourselves, inside ourselves. I know I’m not the only one, who spent so long attempting to be someone else. Well I’m over it. I don’t care if the world knows what my secrets are.” ~Secrets by Mary Lambert.

[armyyeoreobun]

I love being on opposite language journeys from the boys cause they're doing their best with English while in America and it's so endearing because they really are trying but just so nervous and I'm doing my best at Korean about to go to Korea and be all nervous and being a polyglot I just relate to their struggles so much so seeing them struggle and improve and do their best even when they act all silly just warms my heart so much because I totally get it and it makes me feel closer to them somehow like they're gaining confidence and improving so much and making friends and COMMUNICATING idk I just love bts so much they're one of the few good things in my life and I'd do anything for them just saying