Writing Around the Globe: An Invitation

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Don't Panic Keine Panik Ne paniquez pas Geen paniek Não se apavore Non si non lasci prendere panicoare No se atierre

In the Beginning

You are a mariner, a trader. You have sailed far, past the known horizons. You encounter a city full of strange people...you want to make friends, trade goods, find a nice inn and something inebriating to drink, talk to that pretty girl in the corner...

At this point, historically, three options have presented themselves:

  • Learn the local language.
  • Teach the locals yours.
  • Make up a third language.

The third option creates something called a fusion language.

Believe it or not, you are reading one this very minute.

English is what happens when a bunch of Vikings who speak really bad French invade a country full of people speaking mostly really bad German.

And need, really need, to order beer and talk to girls.

So What?

So what is this: Whereas some of us regard the collection of letters we're looking at on this page as being part of our native cultural baggage...

...others of us do not.

However, this global language being a fusion language, we've all got something to say. And we've all got this crazy language to do it in.

Why Didn't They Pick Finnish?

  • Too far off the trade routes.
  • Too many noun declensions (17).

SO WHAT???

So what, you say? (Sorry, I am hard of hearing.)

So what is this: mosey, traipse, trundle, skedaddle, or let your fingers do the walking over to the new homepage of the Global Writers' Workshop.

If your native language is English, lend a hand with the proofreading, advising, encouragement, and general light comedy.

If you are a non-native writer of English, you genius, you, get yourself over there and share some writing with us. The instructions are on the page, they are simple, and I didn't put any of my usual awfulness on there1.

That's so what.

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