Monday, August 08, 2005

I write in english, a kind of english anyway. perhaps I should say, 'I write in english(s)' since the language is spoken in many different accents and dialects. the kind of english I want to write in is rich in expletives, slang, argot, double and triple negatives, with plain words and superfancy grammar. in a way, I want all the english(s) available, from the classroom to the breakroom, for my life in writing/reading. I want my language living.

but all languages are living languages. as long as someone can read in it then that particular language is alive. that goes without saying.

I live in california where the only language I know well is spoken in spanish, thai, vietnamese, tagalog and a host of other languages. my name is hispanic, my language comes from britain. so then english(s) is the source of the local. it is where I live and breathe. and when I speak and write in it, I am therefore occupying the space of 'here and now.' that is until it is read tomorrow or next week. but it remains in the continuous present. it can't be otherwise.

I'm quickly out of my depth here. my metaphysics, metalinguistics, stay grounded in the local dialects of english. it is the only language I know. what then is the definition of 'regional' when californian southeast asian rappers use the words imported by britain.

another topic. but regional writing is what every writer practices. especially me, when I attempt to speak and write in bad english. or to make, as we used to say in the 70s, the english(s) bad.

1 Comments:

At 12:33 AM, Blogger Kyle said...

its a door we can delight in busting down

 

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