English Erotica and Non-English Speakers

[Alison]

Here is a question for those who aren't native English Speakers, but who read English erotica: what can writers do to make it easier?

Some of the things I wonder about:

*Is it easier without contractions? Do you prefer 'it is' to it's?

*What words catch you up? Are there euphamisms and slang that is misleading or distracting?

*Is there anything else you prefer to have or not have?

Hmm?

Alison

[freshman]

Hello, Alison

*Is it easier without contractions? Do you prefer 'it is' to it's?

No, it isn't. it doesn't matter fo me.

*What words catch you up? Are there euphamisms and slang that is misleading or distracting?

Yes, sometimes it's hard to understand euphamisms and slang.

*Is there anything else you prefer to have or not have?

I prefer straight instructions what to do without talks, because it is easier to understand.

freshman

[dark]

Of course slang is bad for a foreign. But I really like the sexual English language. I think the words are more harmless and not so dirty than the German words

And I prefer no contradictions but it's no problem at all. It can break the flow if I have to look for a word in a dict, so I also would prefer a simple speak.

[justme82]

It can break the flow if I have to look for a word in a dict, so I also would prefer a simple speak.

for that problem i'm using the firefox-extension "backword": a tooltip with translation pops up to every word under the curser

more frustrating for me is when words aren't in a (online-)dictionary at all. then searching begins (especially in instructions, when you just have to understand what to do before doing it)

[Jaberwocky]

I agree with Freshman, it is better when the instructions are a little bit staight forward.

The introduction to a task, or the teasing between parts can be written in a colourfull language filled with suggestions, innuendo's, double meanings or sentences that belong to role-playing.

Don't get the exact meaning of an intoduction is a pitty. Don't get the exact meaning of an instruction is a sin.

B.t.w. Are we talking about American English or UK English?

[Susan Strict]

...
B.t.w. Are we talking about American English or UK English?

Don't even THINK about the difference between American and UK English. It's a nightmare for writers of erotica of any sort, particularly when (like mine) half of the readers are thinking in UK English and half in American.

Perhaps you haven't even considered the confusion that might be caused by "bum" or "pants" or "knickers"? As for "fanny".... well! And that's quite apart from frequent confusion (although not to all American English speakers) from "bonk" and "shag", and the innocence of "having a fag" may be completely lost on an American...

Ah, then there's the more obvious: have you ever tried to tell an American that an "ass" is generally grey and has long ears?

I mention only a few - there are many hundreds, and some of them not even slightly sexual... And that's before we enter the area of English dialects:

Oh well. I'll leave you all to play with your candle. I've just taken a butchers at my kettle, and it's time I off down the frog if the jam jar will start, otherwise it's shanks's all the way and very sore plates it'll be before I'm washing my barnet (always do on a Monday night) and up the apples to the old born and bred.

[dark]

Oh well. I'll leave you all to play with your candle. I've just taken a butchers at my kettle, and it's time I off down the frog if the jam jar will start, otherwise it's shanks's all the way and very sore plates it'll be before I'm washing my barnet (always do on a Monday night) and up the apples to the old born and bred.

Ehhm....

What?

[Makarov]

And to believe I had the balls to complain about the word "whilst". Bollocks!

[Susan Strict]

Oh well. I'll leave you all to play with your candle. I've just taken a butchers at my kettle, and it's time I off down the frog if the jam jar will start, otherwise it's shanks's all the way and very sore plates it'll be before I'm washing my barnet (always do on a Monday night) and up the apples to the old born and bred.

Ehhm....

What?

Maybe I should write a whole story or maybe just a "tease" in cockney rhyming slang like that!

Actually, words can be quite powerful without even knowing what they mean. Listening to the sound of the words is often the key. Here's an example - a piece of verse I wrote a couple of years ago. Many of the words are invented and have no meaning in any language, but in the verse they all have a very real meaning:

His Shankle was Dankle

He brinkled the smarkset as she grend the clops
And her misket was whisket with jinrendy trops,
Her sighs filled the treeg as he tried to slambok
But his dankle was shankle; it slanked like a gnock.

“Get it reedjit and turgone,” she cried with a brint
“I’ve no use for a primply whose panshing’s gone fint.
If your rodkit won’t dank then you’d best get some breg
For it’s only a scantlode at Arthur’s and Weg.”

“Just give me a haddrab,” he said with a freel,
“I know I can slambok like any good kreel.
I’m nervous and spargone, my weef’s like a milj
So just krankle my dankle, I’ll soon slik the filj.”

“You got no chance,” she spungled with slom on her frone,
“If you can’t make it turgone, you krank on your own!”
“You could smunter my fissage,” he said with a grin,
“You can bet that my lelk will make your misket frin.”

“That’s a felch of a risk that you’re taking, my lurge,”
She warned, though her enns both grew harge at the murge.
“I might smangle your nadle or crangle your nod,
Or in grasmic your bringling might enjon and jod.”

“It’s a risk that I’ll take,” he confuelled with skeef,
“For in truth I think smunter will reedjit my weef.”
“On your own nod!” she cried as she nangled her misk
And he lay on his sparn while she slimpled the hisk.

‘Tween her sumples he lelked as she smuntered his fiss
And the treeg salled and merrowed her mungrowing tiss
Then he lelked and he lelked ‘til he could lelk no more
At her misket so whisket o’er him on the floor.

“Don’t stop now!” she cried as her grasmic drew near,
And she pressed on his nadle with misket and trear.
“I can’t bringel,” he munged, “My nod’s enjon and durm!”
But her hearing was deaf to the cries ‘neath her lurm.

Now she shangled and fingled, she shundered and flod,
While he enjonned and jod, and she crangled his nod.
Her sumples gipped tighter, his nadle felt brunk,
And he feared that his bringel was finally sunk.

With a shunder she grasmicked, a screek rent the air
And the whisket near drowned him so helplessly there.
She fell on her sparn as he fought for his bringe
And she lay there all fingling and stummered with jinge.

“Hey, look!” came his cry as he raised off his sparn,
“My dankle is reedjit, it’s turgone I clarn!
Let me slambok the misket like any good kreel
And I know that I’ll soon make you shunder and preel.

She shook her head sadly, “I’m grasmicked right out,
And my misket is hurd as a sandwamper’s jout.
I can’t help you with dankling, I’m karkled and frone,
As I told you before, you must krank on your own.”

[Jaberwocky]

Like the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll?
(English is not my native language, thus I'm not sure)

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

[wolletje]

Maybe some would like to learn a few English words?

[Helen P]

Have to say I was a little confused by the use of the words ' breeched ' and ' breech ' in my most recent read of a Candace Smith femdom novel. Checked both English & American Oxford dictionary definitions. Believe the correct usage should have been ' breached ' and ' breach ' However, one dictionary did say that the words ' breech ' and
' breach ' are often confused.

[SomeOne]

*Is it easier without contractions? Do you prefer 'it is' to it's?

I go with freshman there, it doesn't matter. As long as we talk about common contractions.
What can be a problem are shortened words, i don't have an example here, but i think this is about slang then.

*What words catch you up? Are there euphamisms and slang that is misleading or distracting?

While we are at it, isn't it euphemism? Anyway, euphemisms, slang and also sayings/proverbs can be difficult to understand, and break the flow.

About an easy language:
In general it is good thing, but from time to time there should be words (for me) i don't (exactly) know, but where i can imagine what it means from the context. Otherwise, the text may get boring, using standard words all the time.

SomeOne

[janmb]

Here is a question for those who aren't native English Speakers, but who read English erotica: what can writers do to make it easier?

Out of curiosity, what triggers the question in the first place? Have you had experiences with poor understanding or misunderstandings from non-English speakers?

In my experience, most people, especially of the younger generations (which I would assume would be the majority here) at least understand English very well. Most people write fairly decent as well in my experience - the largest variations are apparent when people are speaking the language, where accent plays such a significant role.

I refuse to believe many people at all have any issues what so ever with contractions and similarly basic aspects. Granted, a lot of native English speakers seem to have their hands full getting their/they're etc right, but that's another issue

[janmb]

Of course slang is bad for a foreign. But I really like the sexual English language. I think the words are more harmless and not so dirty than the German words

I have the same feelings about English vs. my own language. Then again, for my part that feeling goes for the entire language in general, not just in terms of sexual vocabulary.

The funny part is that using sites like this one, or in general interacting a lot in English in erotic contexts have made me quite hopeless when it comes to using my own language sexually with my girlfriend. I sometimes find myself stopping up mid-sentence wondering what the f... this or that is called in my own tongue

(and yes, she is confused :P)