Watching My Language
Every now and then I dig out my books on learning languages and go through some of them. I've been doing this for years, you'd think by now I'd be fluent in SOMETHING. My stupid brain doesn't process language well though. I learned from a comic book (of course) that one could theoretically learn the basics of a language by memorizing 10 words a week. Of course, that leaves out grammar and sentence structure. A couple came with tapes that I listen to in my car, which is okay, but really require books to read along with as well. Try learning a full sentence in Lakota or Norwegian in a car...it doesn't work.
I love using language to fuck with people in my comics. Right now, Banjo's Tune has incorporated Spanish and Maori. I purposely did not include the translations in the page because I thought to accomplish on of two things: Either the reader would work for it, and look up the meanings to get the dialogue, or they would give that up and simply try to follow along visually. It's like making them earn the story a little bit, I love that.
I love using language to fuck with people in my comics. Right now, Banjo's Tune has incorporated Spanish and Maori. I purposely did not include the translations in the page because I thought to accomplish on of two things: Either the reader would work for it, and look up the meanings to get the dialogue, or they would give that up and simply try to follow along visually. It's like making them earn the story a little bit, I love that.
posted by BoneDaddy at 11:43 PM
4 Comments:
I love that too. Making someone work for the language vs. making them look at the art. I love the idea of learning a language fluently and using it how I wish. Too bad that can't happen in audio tapes. :)
I like the idea of "earning a story." Shitty books like Twilight give you everything you're supposed to want--predictable plot, one-dimensional characters, lame ass misogynistic love story lol. The narratives that are the most engaging for me are the ones that fail to succumb to what the reader wants. Well, I can't practice what I preach lol.
I wouldn't say that, Tiff--your dialogues frustrate me at times! Not because of their quality but because the characters don't interact the way I would normally think. Fida and Charlie don't always know the answers, sometimes make the wrong decisions. Like you said, that's what makes the story engaging. Agreed about Twilight though. I could get past the previews it sucked so bad, and I always wondered why shirtless wolfboy was always fighting sickly vamp dude over brainless pretty girl. But Mormons don't have a very good track record regarding their views of women...or nonwhites...
Jackie-
Part of the reason I'm trying is so I can teach some of this to Isabella. I don't want her to wait like I did, because the older you get the harder it is to pick up a language. I am, however, a horrible teacher. I tried teaching her some Norwegian, but she gets bored easily and stops listening to me. They taught her a few words of Spanish at Headstart, and I thought it was awesome. But they could have gone so much farther.
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