From: mdhangton@gmail.com   
      
   Brenda wrote:   
   > On 7/13/2015 5:09 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:   
   >> In article ,   
   >> William Vetter   wrote:   
   >>> Michelle Bottorff wrote:   
   >>>> William Vetter  wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> I do not see very much idiosyncratic grammar that should be obvious   
   >>>>> evidence of separate languages.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Obvious idiosyncratic grammar was what I was trying to get away from.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> That's why I needed to bring the story to a halt and spend some time   
   >>>> coming up with something a little more subtle and refined before   
   >>>> continuing on.  :)   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Thanks for your feedback!   
   >>>>   
   >>>> It sounds like the cultural clutter is masking any underlying linguistic   
   >>>> traits. And that's problably happening in my head as well as on paper,   
   >>>> which would explain why I'm struggling. So...   
   >>>>   
   >>>> ...that means that my next exercise should probably be to have someone   
   >>>> who knows both languages say the same thing in first the one, and then   
   >>>> the other.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Aha!  Yes.  That ought to get me what I need.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Thank you!   
   >>>   
   >>> How's about some of you brave authors answer her question, instead of   
   >>> takin' off on thread discussions?   
   >>   
   >> Well, her question (IIRC) amounted to "How should *I* indicate   
   >> alian language while writing in English so my readers can read   
   >> it?"  Which, really, none of us can answer with "You should do X,   
   >> Y, or Z," since no writer can with impunity tell another writer   
   >> what to do or how to do it.   
   >>   
   >> I gave an example of the Martian-accented Terran I'm currently   
   >> doing; whether it'll be accepted by readers remains to be seen.   
   >>   
   >> That's really all anybody can do.   
   >>   
   >   
   > And I gave another, entirely orthogonal (as is my wont) to everyone else's.   
   > Train your ear, and the you can 'hear' the characters!   
   >   
   This is the question she asked:   
      
   Am I succeeding in getting the feel of there being two different   
   cultures/languages whie still having the individual personalities come   
   through?   
      
   If I understand you ladies, you're saying that answering her question   
   won't help her; therefore, we won't answer her question.   
      
   I don't know if an answer can help, but I answered anyhow.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)