Language Differences

Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What If? Writing Exercise for Fiction Writers prompts

The Exercise — Examine a scene you are having trouble with, one that (1) demands action, although not necessarily physical action, and (2) provides a turning point in your story. If you don’t yet have such a scene in your story, try writing one. Make it at least three pages long, although five pages will give you a greater chance to develop the personal dynamics and show how the balance of power can keep changing. Tish, discovering that Mort has cheated her in a business deal, confronts him with evidence that would stand up in court, forcing him to return funds he has stolen. Alycia, a charming jewel thief, is caught in the act by her intended victim — an attractive diamond merchant — and seduces him, ensuring both his silence and the gift of a handsomely insured necklace.

The Objective — To show that by the time the scene is over the position of dominance has changed while the characters remain consistent and credible throughout.

Author’s Note: These prompts are ever more difficult to do for daily writing, so I may have to do a part of this exercise and make that work. Three to five pages is not my regular writing for this venue. The book I’m working on is not fiction and not a fit for this project either.

My Story: I am an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation in Minnesota. My enrollment is removal Fond du Lac, which means I have lots of relatives there too.

My belief is that because of who I am and how I was raised, I get told all the time that my storytelling is interesting, and sometimes I interpret that as a good thing, and other times, not so much!

When first hired and speaking at a state job, in policy and administration, a woman would interpret for me. I was speaking English, not Ojibwe. I recognized what she said as being exactly what I said, but said a bit differently.

People have told me that my facial expressions will speak volumes. I’m not sure that is what ended this interpretation.

That is how I discovered bureaucracy speak. Either people got used to how I spoke, or I got used to how they spoke, or they didn’t care what I said. Not sure which, but the interpretation stopped soon after I started to work there.

Today, I am convinced I was not there long enough to become a bureaucrat. And then again, I don’t believe I could ever be a bureaucrat! In a conversation with a friend about this, she said, “Yes, there really is a way of political speech that sounds good, even if the goal hasn’t been reached.”

When telling stories from the culture, there isn’t usually a beginning, middle, and end as we are taught in English classes. Many times the story ends before the end, and it is left up to you to figure out how the story applies, what you think it means, the moral, the punchline, or the lesson.

In graduate school, a friend edited a paper I asked her to look at. Red marks all over. She was a teacher friend. I did ask her. I didn’t ask her again. And when reading over the comments, I knew I was speaking in a language I was raised with. I thanked her and learned a lot from those red marks.

That was my first realization that I am a storyteller and write as a storyteller. without a beginning, middle, and clear ending. I continue to write this way when I am not paying attention. Her corrections taught me that.

The beginning of storytelling doesn’t start by telling you what the story is about. It simply starts, in much the same way as a nursery rhyme or a children's story book, ‘Once upon a time’.

Some stories can only be told when there is snow on the ground. And some believe it must be dark outside. And this is confusing to many when being asked to tell a story that is only told at certain times.

Then I am from Minnesota, and people from other states are always asking about my accent. I don’t hear an accent on me, but I do on Southerners and Easterners. And I find it difficult to understand people speaking English from Great Britain and other English-speaking countries!

My brother has lived in Texas most of his adult life, and he does not sound like he grew up in Minnesota, but people from Texas will ask him about his accent. Does that mean he is not really a fit for either place?

Then there is my age. I told my granddaughter that she sounds like a broken record. She responded with, “What’s a broken record, Grandma?” Or I say ‘that’s cool’ or ‘far out’ and I get some laughs and questions like, “Were you a hippie grandma?” or “Were you a beatnik?”

I have some smart grandchildren. How do they know about hippies or beatniks? I believe that due to them having tablets and the pandemic, they picked what they wanted to learn.

I’m not good with language, any language. Not English, Ojibwe, or any other language. I can count in German and Spanish, which I learned in grade school, to about twenty, well, maybe just ten! I can count in Ojibwe a bit more and know sentences and words in those languages.

I know more words and sentences in the Ojibwe language than all others.

Also being socialized in the Native American culture with the Ojibwe language spoken in my home, but not shared, has helped with the confusion.

I have an Ojibwe name, a clan name, and a name for White Earth for an introduction. I can understand more than I can speak of the Ojibwe language. I am not fluent, nor will I become fluent before death.

So what is funny or leaves me scratching my head? All of it at different times!

Some of my favorites that I have laughed at again and again:

We live on the Iron Range in Minnesota, and you must have been born on the range to be a Ranger. My husband was born here, so he is a Ranger. He lived much of his life on the Leech Lake reservation and in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

It doesn’t matter where he has lived; he is a Ranger as he was born here. Hubby understands the Ranger language and can speak it. Much of it sounds like Hillbilly or redneck talk to me. He understands some of the Ojibwe language and understands the humor. We laugh all of the time!

When I began working at the State of Minnesota, in the behavioral health division, I scratched my head and was annoyed with the interpretation of my statements by other State workers. I am retired, so now I laugh about those times!

I learned to write with a beginning, middle, and end much of the time! Not all of the time! So, it is funny when someone corrects me. Here I am very close to a doctorate, and I still can’t do that all of the time! I have been accused of murdering the English language!

When people use terms like ayyye as they are disputing something. Howwah means wow or great, and when it comes from a non-Native person, it sounds funny to me sometimes, probably because I don’t expect it and maybe because they don’t have the right accent.

Grandkids’ sayings are almost always cute and funny, and sometimes it is a scratch of the head! My grandson had a special friend and called him Bitch. His mother worked on him and worked on him until his name became Butch.

My 2-year-old granddaughter called her toy fox, fucks. Again, her parents worked on that, and since she is in a Spanish immersion, they weren’t exactly sure that she wasn’t saying something in Spanish! They aren’t fluent in Spanish.

I say the Spanish I know the best is No! As in No Espanol. It is easy to love my granddaughter, and for her to love me, so we speak the same language, no matter what language we are speaking. I work to share love with whoever I am talking to or writing to.

And finally, when listening to fluent Ojibwe language speakers talking and laughing, I wonder why anyone wants to get rid of or contribute to getting rid of such a beautiful, fun language? Especially when we were told that everything we ever need to know is in the language.

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Published first by Mercury Press on medium.com for a prompt using a story written earlier on Vocal Media.