Speaking in tongues

[sistermagpie]

Today was S's last day in my Saturday ballet class, because she's been transferred back to Germany, which is where she is from. She said she hoped one day to get transferred to India because she speaks Hindi, which I thought was really cool. She said Hindi sounded something like German and English because they're all Indo-Germanic languages.

C, who is also in this class, is from France. So we started talking about speaking different languages and C said that she was much more outgoing about her feelings in English, that she was very shy in French but now sometimes got frustrated speaking to her family or her best friend thinking, "This would be easier if you understood English." She felt she was sort of hiding behind the language but also letting her true self show more...which made sense to me, somehow. I'm sure if I ever finally mastered another language well enough to communicate in it I might feel that way. It also made me think of a discussion about TTT where somebody said it was fake the way Elrond and Arwen switched from English to Elvish in mid-conversation, only to have some multi-lingual people say no, that was very realistic, that they often switched languages depending on the subject. Some things are more easily spoken about in different languages.

So I thought I'd throw this out to the amazingly polyglot people on lj--I know some of you speak more than one language...do you find differences in yourself from one language to another? Do you all often speak English or just write in it? I used to have a bookmark I made that said, "To speak another language is to possess another soul" or something like that--does it seem like that? Does what C said make sense to you?

Comments

Re: Indian-sounding English

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I have never made that connection between Indian (of whatever type) and Welsh. I have heard Welsh accents, but when I think of an Indian one it's more that very stereotypical Apu-style one.:-)

My friend from New Jersey was constantly mistaken for Irish when she was working in England. Now--are you saying that your mother tongue is German or English?

I'm pretty with you on the Arwen factor in LOTR. I liked her in some scenes better than I thought I would--usually when they stuck to her actual story, but I still cringe at some of her moments. Notably the "ranger caught off his guard" line and the idea that she's dying. WTF?

Anyway, I did think the times they chose to switch into Elvish always made sense and were consistent, and a nice touch.

[(Anonymous)]

"Now--are you saying that your mother tongue is German or English?"

Oh, sorry, neither. I do understand some German as well, but my mother tongue is Norwegian. :-)


I'm afraid I don't know New Jersey American specifically, but I suppose they have quite a distinct R-sound, then?


Yes, it was very nice that they chose to use Elvish at least some of the time. I suppose it might have gotten annoying if they had used more, a bit like with the songs. I'm very glad they kept a few songs in, but then again I'm even more glad they didn't have more. ;-)

I think I'm actually most happy with Arwen in RotK Ext. Not because of her scenes per se, but of how I felt they fitted within the whole of the movie and the wider story.
But Arwen dying? Quite. WTF. And the "off his guard" line is awful. Truly awful. I've been sitting here for half an hour trying to remember where it's from, and then I did, and I feel bad. Ugh.


I can't off the top of my head remember any movies or actors with the exact kind of Welsh accent I'm thinking about, maybe it's old fashioned? But if you've seen "84 Charing Cross Road" I *think* Judy Dench's character is Welsh, and rather lilting when she speaks. And if you've heard Dylan Thomas read, he's got it as well. I suppose an Indian-American style accent might be different from an Indian-British one, though, and that it only happens with Indian-British?

- Clara

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Oh, sorry, neither. I do understand some German as well, but my mother tongue is Norwegian. :-)

Oh, of course! boggles


I'm afraid I don't know New Jersey American specifically, but I suppose they have quite a distinct R-sound, then?

The way she talks I think she does. Irish accents in general sound more American to me than English accents do, but I never would have guessed she sounded more Irish. It was interesting. I suppose she may have "looked" Irish in some way, though her family background is Swedish, Polish and Austrian, I think.

I'm very glad they kept a few songs in, but then again I'm even more glad they didn't have more. ;-)

LOL! Absolutely. As much as I'd like to see Elijah Wood caper on a table...