Welcome to the sixth installment in this special series by Beth Barany and I on Travel and Writing. We are offering information, tips, techniques and tools for writers who are traveling for business, pleasure or on retreat. Look for more posts from us every other Wednesday. And get information on our destination retreats, Beth’s in Paris, mine near Delphi, Greece.This week, Beth and I share insights on the impact of other languages on our brains and our writing.
The first time I heard a foreign language or knew there was such a thing was when I was about seven years old. Watching a program on television, probably a children’s program, I heard a character on the show teach another a few words in French. I was fascinated by the new words and sounds…and the idea that there were other languages.
Suddenly, my world was larger.
Any wonder then that I eagerly walked into my very first day of French in seventh grade. Six years later, I graduated from high school with four years of French and two years of Spanish. Obviously, I loved languages. My first year of college, I even considered majoring in French, but finally decided to major in my first love, Creative Writing. Still, I held onto my French books. Who knew when I might want to brush up?
My love for language came roaring back last spring when my husband and I took a three-week trip to Tuscany, Italy. Even though we had a digital language course for study, Bob and I never quite made the time for it. So we set off to Italy with only a few words in our lexicon and a small English-Italian dictionary tucked in my purse.
Even though the first few days were full of stumbles and quick searches through the dictionary, by the beginning of the second week, we were feeling more confident about our ability to navigate restaurants, shops, and museums with our limited but growing vocabulary.
Listening to others speak Italian with its fluid syllables was like listening to the opera singers at the Puccini Festival in Lucca—lovely, musical and very much part of the place and the environment. The language was woven right into the bruschetta, the pasta and the gelato. The up and down of the language was very much a part of lingering over wine, sharing stories, and people-watching from our table at the sidewalk café.
Language reflects not just the people and the culture but also the physical environment. You’ve probably heard that the Inuit have numerous words for snow, an important environmental element in their lives. But did you know that certain languages of Norway, Finland and Sweden have numerous words for reindeer or that there are many words for wind in Hawaiian?
Learning or listening to a new language increases your awareness of cultural idiosyncrasies, relational dynamics and environmental influences.
Being aware of the structure of other languages, even regional uses of the same language, adds authenticity to the setting of your story and affects how you think about the language of your characters.
The next time you travel, even in this country, listen to conversations. Listen to different accents, to the pacing of words, and to accompanying gestures and body stance. How would your characters convey the same message?
And the next time you travel out of this country, really listen to the music of the language and what it tells you about the place and people.
And for more on the benefits of travel and language, check out Beth’s post later this week.
And, if you love writing on a beach or writing looking out over water or mountains, then check out my Greece writing retreat at www.retreatwithyourmuse.com.