Questions tagged [language]
Incorporating foreign languages, slang, dialect, and so on into a work.
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Choosing between your Mother Tongue and another language
OK, I know I was warned, but what can I do? I had this question for a very long time. I have decided where to write (platform like computer or notepad), I am in the middle of deciding my way of ...
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Referring to sign language in conversations
I am writing a story in which one of the main characters is Deaf, and therefore communicates with other leads using sign language. Not being a native speaker of English, I am having trouble with ...
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Improving my English
I'm keen to write stories from my imagination. However, my grammar is not up to the mark. I use very simple words, not complicated words like the ones used in novels.
I read many great books, such as ...
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Writing dialogue for a non-English speaker in English?
I am writing a story that features an illiterate Indian woman. Of course, while there are things only Hindi can satisfactorily express, I was wondering what would be a good way to construct dialogues ...
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conversation language translation [duplicate]
If two characters have a conversation one in a foreign tongue the other in english should there ba an asterisk and a translation of foreign language some where else or from the english speaking ...
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Is there such a thing as a "reverse analogy"?
Some analogies tend to be very common, becoming almost idiomatic. For example:
He entered the doctor's office at 4:59 PM on a Friday. The secretary's stare was icy cold.
Is reversing those kind of ...
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How to master literary American English as a second language?
I want to learn to write fiction books (historical and science fiction) in American English. My native tongue is Russian and I speak fluently German, since I grew up in Austria.
My English is good ...
user6696
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How do I make an ESL character sound realistic?
I have to write an assignment in which there's an English character talking with a English as a Second Language (ESL) character. It is turning out really, really badly. I have a general idea of what ...
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Resource on archaic English
I know there are similar questions around (like this and this) but they don't really have an answer that works for me.
Are there any specific resources that would give me an idea about writing in ...
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Why do writers use "said" instead of "asked" when someone asks a question?
I often see writers use "said" instead of "asked" when their character asks a question.
e.g. From The Hobbit:
“Where else should I be?” said the wizard
Is it a mistake that hasn't been caught by ...
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How can I make a person sound sick?
How do you distort words into sounding sick, as in with the cold? I want it to be a really comical scene, but I'm not sure how to write it. Do I replace some letters with others or remove certain ...
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Is it okay to mention a person's nationality and accent only once or twice in a story?
For example, if you have a guy who is an Indian (from India), and you say something like,
Sukant answered in his Northern Bhojpuri accent, "Yes. It is indeed
true. Many people come into my ...
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Should this introductory quotation be translated, untranslated, or dropped?
When I first wrote "Gawain's Guilt-Girdle" (14 lines of verse) I introduced it with a short (modernized/translated) quotation from the Middle English work Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I think my ...
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Is it a bad idea to use a culture-specific word in the title of a story?
I wrote a short story long ago called The End of the World. I thought the title was too common so I renamed it to The Kid with the Gigaku Mask and the End of the World. But then, I found that title to ...
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An adjective relating to the circus? [closed]
I'm looking for an adjective which essentially means "of or relating to the circus." My context is:
As they stood in the doorway, taking in the circus-like activities around them...
But "circus-...
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Writing in second language [closed]
I am an Indonesian but mostly write in English. Most of my poems are written in English. What terms and rules should I notice? considering that my idea comes to mind in English not my native ...
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Words in author's native language?
Why in some essays or articles there are words in the author's native language?
(In other words, the essay is in English and there are some Spanish words spread out in the whole essay.)
Does it ...
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How are multilingual scenes handled when the story's main language is translated into that of its minor one?
Say you have an English book in which there is a particular dialogue where one of a handful of participating characters is speaking French. In this dialogue the fact that he's speaking French is a ...
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How many different words are in the average novel?
I realize there's going to be a bit of variation here from one author to the next and depending on length of the novel, but the range shouldn't really be too large.
The thing is, I really have no ...
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Believable (but easy) archaic English
Do you know any "shortcuts" to translating passages of my story into believably sounding archaic English? I mean, without taking a full school course?
A crash course? An automatic service? A phrase ...
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How do authors incorporate languages they don't speak?
In many, many English-language novels I've come across characters who speak other languages, most often French for whatever reason.
In many cases, such as with Ulysses and Lolita, this is a simple ...
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Which language to use when writing a multinational story
I'm Brazilian and I'm writing a book in portuguese. However the story takes place first in Europe, i.e. Italy, Portugal, and London. Of course this requires of me some research about the culture of ...
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Using Latin words in fantasy
I have seen at least a few cases of Latin being used in both fantasy and scifi, and I wonder how it is perceived and how much is tolerated. Being primarily a gamer, the first examples that come to ...
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How does one present spoken dialogue as a secondary language to signed speech?
I was starting to leave a comment on this excellent question when I realized I had come up with a second question which was equally intriguing.
If you're writing a story where 95% of the ...
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How does one include sign language in a dialogue?
If one character is using sign language and lip reading while the other is speaking normally, how do you represent the lines of the former? Quotations with "he signed" attribution or italics?...
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How can I effectively invent a language?
I want to make a particular language that adapts to the story. And the language has to have x and y and e characteristics for example.
Is there a protocol to follow on the process of making a ...
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Is it good style to use Latin phrases in English scientific literature?
I don't know how much and deep actual school kids in the US get in touch with Latin. In Europe you can choose it in many high schools and the use of it is common in mainstream media. For some areas of ...
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Italicizing and adding accents to Spanish words in an English novel
In my current novel I have a few characters who speak Spanish. The book takes place along the Texico border, so it happens frequently. I know that in more foreign Spanish, or when someone speaks a ...
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What free tools are there to help me improve my English?
I am in the process of writing a research paper in Computer Science. Are there any free tools/browser plugins/web sites/latex plugins that would help me improve my English? I am looking for some nice ...
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Analogies, pitfalls and guidelines
Analogies can be powerful tools in both explaining and misrepresenting a complex topic. What methodology works well for finding good analogies and how does one figure out whether an analogy is well ...
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Character with extreme manners
My objective is Victorian-style tea-drinking "upper class" lady characters. (It's more of a writing challenge.)
Does anyone have any useful resources or tips for creating such a character? ...
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What's the best way to show a foreign language in a manuscript?
What's the best way to show a character speaking a foreign language in a fiction manuscript? Should the foreign words be italicized and include a translation? Should it just be included in the ...
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Should one blog in a few languages?
Greetings. I've been blogging for a while now and I do it in Russian. But, some of my English-speaking... AHEM "Internet-friends" are unable to read my personal blog, 'cause they're just not familiar ...
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How to handle foreign military ranks?
Suppose you have a character who has a rank in a foreign military - say, Feldwebel Hans. That's the equivalent of a Sergeant.
On one hand, having people call him "Herr Feldwebel" gives some flavor ...
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When parodying a song, how important is it to replace words with homophones thereof?
I often decide to parody songs to adapt them to different contexts -- mainly for fun, for improving my English and causing an healthy amount of groans into people who read my creations.
However, I ...
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Writing 19th century upperclass English dialog
I was recently rereading bits of Pride and Prejudice and the dialog is absolutely brilliant. How can I learn to write dialog that sounds like it is from this general era? For example are there any ...
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Should I translate my own writings into a second language I also know well?
Nabokov was very discouraged when he translated his Lolita into Russian. And he spent half a year on it. So should I try the translation myself?
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Could I reach the level of good writing style as non-native language speaker?
I currently write in Russian, but I think of switching to English to gain more audience and to play with both languages and linguistics.
So could I ever reach the level of native English writers and ...
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Are different styles/storylines prefered in different languages/cultures?
I am German. Can I apply the hints for style or story-building given here, or by English authors, without a second thought to my own work written in German? Or are there differences in how style or ...
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Using slang as a narrator - pros and cons
Is it advisable to use slang and euphemisms as a narrator, in addition to the main characters who use it? Are there arguments for and against it?
For example, if I were to write about street thugs ...
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