(sorry, I don't know if I can edit comments on DW, it's been so long since I used it...)
About fic in a language that's not your own... I never thought about how explicit fic would sound in a language that wasn't my mother tongue, I guess because I'm spoilt that so much fic is written in English. German I don't think I could write in, Russian perhaps (if I learnt the language well enough), because as Cat said, it's so expressive, but even so...
I feel in English. I don't know how else to describe it. Perhaps that's why explicit fic in Norwegian felt so 'close' in that way? Because it's kind of 'yours'? When I experience something, my reaction to it is in English. I know the language so well that I usually have the exact word for the exact experience, and the sound, shape and feel of that word elicits that experience right away the moment you say/see/hear it. It's an automatic reaction and a depth of language knowledge that perhaps only comes from your mother tongue? I don't know, though, as I've never learnt a language well enough, for long enough, to be able to communicate in it so proficiently as how you do in English, for example (I am in awe of your language skills, really).
It's an interesting philosophical question too that I know has had a lot written about it: how does language shape our experiences? Can I really experience something if I don't have language to express it? (of course I think so, but it's interesting to think about). Things like the sound of words, or their gender (non-English languages) even subtly affect how the things they describe are perceived. It's fascinating.
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asenathwaite
(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, 24 January 2017 09:52 (UTC)About fic in a language that's not your own... I never thought about how explicit fic would sound in a language that wasn't my mother tongue, I guess because I'm spoilt that so much fic is written in English. German I don't think I could write in, Russian perhaps (if I learnt the language well enough), because as Cat said, it's so expressive, but even so...
I feel in English. I don't know how else to describe it. Perhaps that's why explicit fic in Norwegian felt so 'close' in that way? Because it's kind of 'yours'? When I experience something, my reaction to it is in English. I know the language so well that I usually have the exact word for the exact experience, and the sound, shape and feel of that word elicits that experience right away the moment you say/see/hear it. It's an automatic reaction and a depth of language knowledge that perhaps only comes from your mother tongue? I don't know, though, as I've never learnt a language well enough, for long enough, to be able to communicate in it so proficiently as how you do in English, for example (I am in awe of your language skills, really).
It's an interesting philosophical question too that I know has had a lot written about it: how does language shape our experiences? Can I really experience something if I don't have language to express it? (of course I think so, but it's interesting to think about). Things like the sound of words, or their gender (non-English languages) even subtly affect how the things they describe are perceived. It's fascinating.