The Advantages of Multilingualism

I came across this article this morning that was on the Argentinian news site Clarin.com, discussing bilingualism and multilingualism. One of the points I found most interesting in the article was their assertion that bi or multilingual speakers tend to be more innovative problem solvers and creative thinkers. This makes sense. According to this article, and many other sources, language is a tool we use to construct our our conceptual universe. One of my favorite examples (this is till a theory mind you), is our English verb "to know." I "know" a fact about a country, news article or an idea, and I also "know" my buddy Bob down the street. I hear that Bob just robbed a bank and the cops come to my door asking about him and all I can say is: "I thought I "knew" him!" In English we don't have differing conceptual words for knowing something and knowing someone (unlike Spanish: saber / conocer or Mandarin: zhidao / renshi) which often leads to fascinating social encounters where people realize that they just didn't "know" someone and were surprised at something they had done. Would they still think this if we had a separate word / concept for "knowing" someone? This is a fascinating subject and does lend a lot of credence to the assertion in the article. How much easier would it be to solve a problem when you're used to thinking beyond the confines of a single conceptual framework and can bring more ideas to the table! Additionally, having the ability to think within and beyond different conceptual frameworks definitely aids in creative thinking. One of the thing I love about SF is exploring all the new worlds and ideas that SF writers come up with. When you learn a second language, you also learn to see the world in a different way, exploring, in effect a new world and new ideas. The new worlds opened by a new language is excellent fodder for SF writing and has given us some of our classics like Lord of the Rings and Stranger in a Strange Land, in which Robert Heinlein explored this theme. Language plays an important part in my own writing and I draw heavily on what I know when I'm building a world for a story. To me, it lends authenticity to a setting to have names and ideas expressed within a specific linguistic system (I'll be bitching about this in my next post!). I also find that it helps imagine how the characters interact with each other and their world, adding nuance to their personas. The link to the article is below. Enjoy! https://es.babbel.com/es/magazine/el-cerebro-bilingue?bsc=spamag-a49-bilingualbrain-esp-ob&btp=1_esp_out_cd&utm_campaign=cd_espall_ges-cx1_bilingualbrain&utm_content=%C2%BFSabes+c%C3%B3mo+funciona+el+cerebro+biling%25C&utm_medium=CON&utm_source=outbrain&utm_term=5003063

At the Intersection of SF and Multiculturalism

When I told someone about my blog I was asked: "What's the theme of your blog?" My initial answer was that I wanted it to be about my writing, but on reflection, the answer is a bit more complex. I have been wanting to do a blog where I could talk about my writing, in the vein of Aliette de Boddard, one of my all time favorite SF writers, for quite some time. I'm also a big fan of multiculturalism and I was also eager to have an outlet for my interest in different languages, cultures and civilizations. For me, there is a significant overlap between these two interests. As much as I love the English speaking world's premier SF writers and filmmakers, I can't help but feel like our take on SF is very Anglocentric and wonder how other cultures across the world would approach SF. Our idea of "progress" is a very European idea dating back to the Enlightenment when European philosophers looked about them, and dismayed at the bloody warfare taking place in the name of Christianity, forwarded the idea of "progress" where people could learn to move beyond all the strife and live together in social harmony. (Even in Europe there are many different interpretations on what "progress" means, but we won't go there in this short post) This European idea became a very potent force behind Science Fiction. Authors such as Clarke and Asimov saw humanity "progressing" into the stars with the aid of technology. As the world becomes more globalized and people interact more with each other, it would be silly not to ask how people of other nations and ethnicities view the future. What cultural ideas and experiences do other people bring as humanity "progresses" toward the future? To me, the idea is both fascinating and inspiring and makes me excited to see the future of SF and the world. Additionally, in the vein of fantasy, the myths and legends of people from all over the world are becoming more accessible through the internet. If I'm interested in Maori myths, I no longer have to head to a university library and hope they carry something, I can just google it in the space of a few seconds. It's well known that Lord of the Rings was inspired by the Prose Edda, a book of Nordic myths. With an entire treasure trove of myths to explore how is it not possible to be inspired to new fantastical settings and ideas? Will our next Lord of the Rings in fact be inspired by Maori mythology? In short, although to some SF and multiculturalism are separate themes, to me there is alot of overlap and the growing cultural milieu we live in will inspire new directions in SF books and movies. The intersection of SF and multiculturalism is an exciting place to be! (Image from http://en.metalship.org/)

The Water Margin - A Chinese Classic

Speaking of Asia, while my writing pursuits are presently in the Hispanic world, I'm busily reading a classic of Chinese literature called The Water Margin. A very early version (or precursor) of this novel appeared in the mid 13th century and was a compilation of tales that supposedly took place during the Song Dynasty. Although Shi Naian, a Chinese writer who lived in the 14th century is given credit as the "author" of the novel, several different versions have appeared over the centuries, testifying to its many different authors and influences. The basic story is about a group of outlaws in the Liangshan Marsh who are rebelling against government corruption, somewhat like a Chinese version of Robin Hood. The individual stories of many of the outlaws are told in separate chapters, making it seem like the novel was originally a series of short stories (short story writing was popular in the Tang dynasty of the 7th - 10th centuries) that were later woven into a longer tale that had each of the characters becoming an outlaw in the Liangshan Marsh as the overarching theme. This was apparently also one of Mao Zedong's favorite books. It's fascinating to think that the stories of these outlaw heroes rebelling against a corrupt Imperial government might have been playing out in Mao's imagination as he led the Communist rebels against China's corrupt and incompetent Kuomintang government of the mid 20th century. Historical interest aside, this is a really fun read! It's a great adventure on par with Lord of the Rings, with fun characters, terrific drama, action packed battle scenes, and even a meeting with the mystic Goddess of Heaven! All of this in the exotic setting of Song Dynasty China. What more could you ask for? It's a long book, my version is about 800 pages, but definitely worth the time!

Spanish Steampunk

The theme of Spanish Steampunk is still current. I recently wrote short story about a Spanish expedition to the Arctic that takes place in a steampunk universe. In it, a Hispanic adventurer heads up to the Arctic to test out a mechanical Arctic survival suit which freezes up and fails. Long after he dies, an intrepid Inuit named Anik discovers the suit and realizes at once what it is: a good luck charm from the spirit world! Another expedition soon arrives looking for their amigo and the experimental suit, and they're not too impressed with Anik's take on the situation. The high Arctic is a beautiful, haunting and magical setting for a story and I have many more SF stories I've been working on that take place there. My latest story is also set in a Spanish Steampunk universe, although this time the theme is Hispanic Ninjas! Sound weird? Probably, but over the years the Spanish, and Europeans in general, have borrowed heavily from Asia. Notably, paper, the printing press, gunpowder, the toothbrush, paper money, sunglasses, umbrellas (seriously, did Europe invent ANYTHING????) and of course martial arts! A good example, my Tae Kwon Do group is actually American Kang Duk Won, an American adaptation of Korean Tae Kwon Do. To me, it makes sense that an empire at the height of its power would see the utility of agents of espionage such as the Ninja and adopt the idea (with modifications) for their own use. In my story, these "ninja", called "Las Sombras de la Emperatriz", the Empress' Shadows, are the military elite of this alternative Spanish Empire and equipped with a very cool clockwork arsenal.

Ferdinand V of Castile

Wow - I guess it took longer to get back to this than I thought! But then again, two and a half years isn't THAT bad all things considered, right? In the interim, I finished my MA and have decided to take a short break from academic life. In my last post, oh so long ago, I said that I was going to do my thesis on the Conquest of Peru. This was to compliment a major paper I wrote in the final year of my undergrad about the Conquest of Mexico. However, as the year progressed, I decided to undertake a study of the military and diplomatic strategies employed by Ferdinand V of Castile (II of Aragon) as he and his famous wife Isabel laid the foundation for what was to become the Spanish Empire. Queen's University has a number of texts from the period so I had the joy of researching one of my favourite historical personages in the original early modern Spanish. Woo hoo!