What language(s) do you write in?

[dostava]

I'm sure everyone here has written a poem or a story at least once in their lives. Not necessarily an artistic masterpiece, but an emotional poem, or a little funny ditty to pass time in class, or maybe a story, etc. I want to know if people write in their native tongue or in foreign languages, and if the latter, in which?

I find that people in Slovenia often write in English. Some find it more artistic, some just find it easier to write in. I myself write (both poetry and prose) in my mother tongue, Slovene.

[PixelBaebee]

At the moment, I can only write in English. When writing short stories or poems, I try to add a certain flare to it, but I find that if I don't do so naturally, I won't be able to do it at all. Writing artistically/poetically in another language is something I wouldn't do unless I am fluent in that language, and English is the only one I'm fluent in so..

[wayzteacher]

I'm Filipino.  My native tongue is one of our local dialects, but I could never write with it.  Any writing that I do is in English.

I don't know if it is weird but I don't really know how to write in my native tongue.  When I try, I have a hard time with spelling because I don't read any material in this dialect.  I feel awkward and totally unsure if I try to write anything down in my native tongue.

English, on the other hand, is my favorite medium.  I write essays, stories, and poor attempts of poetry in English.  I find it easier to express myself in English when it comes to writing.  Isn't that a weird conundrum?

[Muthoni]

I write in three languages, my native language which is kikuyu. Our national language that is Swahili and I can write very well in English which is our official language. The funny thing is that the most difficult language to read among the three is our native language Kikuyu.

[christendenkt]

This is a great question for people who were raised bilingual. I know that Franz Kafka was Czechoslovakian, but he wrote in German. It was thought that he wrote in German because many people believed that German was the "higher" language, and therefore more respected.

I've written poems in French, but since it is not a first language - nor was I fluent - I can't claim to have found more meaning in French than in English. I can understand that would be the case for some people. One language can have words that are indefinable or don't exist in another language. If only I could get to an understanding of German that such distinctions would be clear and meaningful.

[Baburra]

I used to be able to write in Chinese fairly well but have since then forgotten most of the words necessary to make full sentences. When I was younger I could write full Chinese essays, but now I'd probably need a refresher course before I could get back into it.

[sidney]

I usually write poems in English, because Tagalog sounds cheesy if you write a poem in that language, especially love poems. I think English sounds better in  general too, because some Tagalog words can be very deep. But I've written some stories in Taglish though.

[christendenkt]

I usually write poems in English, because Tagalog sounds cheesy if you write a poem in that language, especially love poems. I think English sounds better in  general too, because some Tagalog words can be very deep. But I've written some stories in Taglish though.

Forgive my English, but what is Tagalog? Where is it spoken? What makes it sound cheesy? I'm very curious!

[BillyIdol]

I think I'd be writing in my mother tongue no matter how many languages I knew. I've been using it solely for thirty years, and wouldn't feel comfortable otherwise. Unless I was looking for a challenge.

[pcgamer]

I can write in Punjabi, Hindi as well as English. I wish I could say the same about French as well, but I am still a beginner.

[Kektheman]

I mostly write in Slovene too, since I have a richer vocabulary, and am more certain about the grammatical rules and whatnot. I've tried writing in English, but it is not as easy as I thought it would be! You have to pay attention to a lot of things, and having a good vocabulary is SO important! The paragraphs can turn out extremely dull if you fail to spice things up.

[Lin]

I'm sure everyone here has written a poem or a story at least once in their lives. Not necessarily an artistic masterpiece, but an emotional poem, or a little funny ditty to pass time in class, or maybe a story, etc. I want to know if people write in their native tongue or in foreign languages, and if the latter, in which?

I find that people in Slovenia often write in English. Some find it more artistic, some just find it easier to write in. I myself write (both poetry and prose) in my mother tongue, Slovene.

I have written in Spanish, which is not my mother tongue. My mother tongue is creole. I love English more than Spanish however, especially the British accent. It's most likely because I can express myself more in English though. 

[Rosa]

I recall writing stories and poems in foreign languages in high school but I only write in English now because it's the language I am most comfortable writing in. I like to speak in Spanish to express myself at times to persons who aren't even getting what I am saying but I never write.

[Traveler]

Aside from my native language, I can only write in Spanish to any reasonable extent. I enjoy writing in Spanish because it is so easy. Once you know the phonetics, it is difficult to spell words incorrectly. I can also write a few very simple things in pinyin (Mandarin) but I often put the wrong tonal marks.

[edthebig]

I'm sure everyone here has written a poem or a story at least once in their lives. Not necessarily an artistic masterpiece, but an emotional poem, or a little funny ditty to pass time in class, or maybe a story, etc. I want to know if people write in their native tongue or in foreign languages, and if the latter, in which?

I find that people in Slovenia often write in English. Some find it more artistic, some just find it easier to write in. I myself write (both poetry and prose) in my mother tongue, Slovene.

I can write very fluently in Spanish and in English and I can write like two sentences in french. Basically English and Spanish haha.

[Saholy]

When I am at a seminar for a Malagasy sign language seminar, my notes are a mess. If I write in a language, then I will have a mix of ASL idiomatic expression for certain signs like 'Pah', or I might have Malagasy, or I might throw in some English. This mess has caused me to start taking notes in pictures. I am a big fan of 'mind mapping' or 'idea mapping'. Especially if one is dealing with sign language. I have gotten better at writing in Malagasy and it is a goal of mine to be able to write a story or a poem in the language. As far as French goes, my writing ability is NIL. :-(

[Hemikune]

Being a Native English speaker, it is natural for me to do all my writing in English.

I have been living in Thailand for some time now, and while fluid writing in Thai is beyond me at this point, I am proud to say that I can read Thai...a bit. I just need way more vocabulary to actually be able to understand what it is that I am reading.  :wacky:

[Determined2014]

I'm sure everyone here has written a poem or a story at least once in their lives. Not necessarily an artistic masterpiece, but an emotional poem, or a little funny ditty to pass time in class, or maybe a story, etc. I want to know if people write in their native tongue or in foreign languages, and if the latter, in which?

I find that people in Slovenia often write in English. Some find it more artistic, some just find it easier to write in. I myself write (both poetry and prose) in my mother tongue, Slovene.

I write in English and in Swahili very perfectly, but I also write in Spanish but am not that good at writting in Spanish.

[JessiFox]

I write most fluently in my native language, English...as I still have the best grasp of humor/wit/grammar/etc. in it, but I have tried writing in Latin and Spanish and as I continue to learn I'm sure it will get easier.

[gmckee1985]

At this point the only language I really write in, is the language that I most proficient in, which is English. I can also write somewhat competently in Spanish. As I learn more, and progress with learning the language I'm sure I will be able to write just as well in it as I do currently in English. It's just a really slow process. Certainly doesn't happen over night. But I'm really making strides.

[christinaakasha]

I am only able to write in English and Hungarian. I am fluent in both languages.

I am also a poet and songwriter. When I write songs and poems, I am only able to write them in English. Even though my mother tongue is Hungarian, I grew up in the UK. All the good memories like music, literature etc connect me to the UK. I am not able to express my feelings very well in Hungarian. Words just don't come to mind the way they do in English. I "feel" in English, so that is why that's the only language I am able to write poems and songs in. I have tried to write poems/songs in Hungarian but they ended up being cheesy, so I thought there's no point in trying to force something that doesn't come naturally.  :grin:

[gmckee1985]

This is a long way off from happening, but I'd really like to study and learn Chinese writing. It's such a cool looking way to write. I'm curious as if it's really as hard as it looks or if it's just me being negative.

[DancingLady]

At this point I only write in English.  I do not have the level of mastery in German to write anything above very basic level.  I do not have the vocabulary or a good enough sense of flow to be able to write creatively without it being very awkward sounding.

[edthebig]

I'm sure everyone here has written a poem or a story at least once in their lives. Not necessarily an artistic masterpiece, but an emotional poem, or a little funny ditty to pass time in class, or maybe a story, etc. I want to know if people write in their native tongue or in foreign languages, and if the latter, in which?

I find that people in Slovenia often write in English. Some find it more artistic, some just find it easier to write in. I myself write (both poetry and prose) in my mother tongue, Slovene.

I can write fluently in Spanish and in English. I have written like 3 words on french also.

[olivia]

I write in English, my native language. At the moment my Spanish is not strong enough for me to be able to express myself easily without having to look up words constantly. I remember at one point when I was in school I could write paragraphs in Spanish and tried some journal writing, but it'll take me a little longer to be able to get to that point again. With some practice I will eventually, but I think it is still easier to express my thoughts in my native language.