Exophony means writing in a language which isn't your mother tongue. While this may appear daunting in the Anglophone world, the fact is that people have written exophonically for centuries-- if not millennia.

Think of the age when Latin was the lingua franca in Europe. Yet those who wrote famous treatises in Latin, such as Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, spoke other tongues: English, French, German, etc. The same applies in other parts of the world, like the dominance of Arabic across the Middle East and North Africa. The various ethnic groups conquered by the Arabs became exophonic writers in order to publish works.  

I did not so much discover exophonic writing, as simply learn the name. Beforehand, I had written sporadically in French since leaving school. In September 2019, I began a journal logging my progress in different foreign languages. Only right before National November Writing Month did I discover the term exophonic writing, along with a number of famous writers.

Like what you’ve read? Finish the rest on my Ko-Fi page (link above).

Here’s a round-up of important posts for foreign language learners, particularly exophonic writers. 

Language Learning Tips: In this post, I give you the most important advice for making progress in a foreign language, based on my own learning and advice that has helped me. 

More Language Learning Tips: My follow-up post to the one above, in which I give you 10 more ways to improve your language learning. 

How to Learn Vocabulary: Comprehensive advice for learning vocabulary in a foreign language. Bear in mind this was written in 2019, so I have evolved somewhat since then. 

Learn Ancient Languages: In this post, I argue that all language learners, regardless of academic background, should learn the ancient form of their target language as well. 

Language Study Books: My list of the best language books available for a selected number of languages that I have studied, or am still studying.  

Language Study Resources Online: For those who prefer learning online, I made a post summarising the highest quality language learning resources across the web. 

Books for Linguists: A small list of books that might interest linguists. 

Why Write in a Foreign Language?: My introduction to exophonic writing. Some of the best reasons for writing in a foreign language, based on the experience of famous (and not-so-famous) writers, and my own example. 

i talked to Litehouse about my writing process & about what being an exophonic writer means to me  i am so grateful for the latter prompt - truthfully, it is a question i had never considered before, as writing poetry in a language that is not my mother tongue has always come quite naturally. it was great to reflect on the power of language, and on the way it shapes the way i experience myself & the world! 

snippet: To me, being an exophonic writer means that this grand, beautifully interwoven and formidable world is my home. I am not bound to any place and I can make my home in those around me. Moreover, writing in English gifted me the courage to shed olden ideas about who I thought I was, and it gifted me the space to meet unknown parts of myself in wondrous ways.

https://tothelitehouse.com/2020/12/22/tea-nicolae/

This is Yoko Tawada, a Japanese author who also writes in German. She has won many prizes. In this interview, she discusses the meaning and relevance of exophony (living and speaking in a foreign tongue). 

I don’t know much about Japan as a whole, so I was not familiar with Tawada’s work. However, I have noticed a number of Asian authors who become exophonic writers, particularly using European languages.

I wonder whether the use of letters, rather than characters, has some kind of appeal for them. In this video, Tawada critiques the linguistic habit in Japan of leaving a sentence open in the assumption that someone else will understand the rest of your meaning. She says this might not happen. 

As someone who doesn’t know much Japanese, I cannot comment on this. 

I have to say, however, that the little I know of Japanese culture is interesting. Recently, I learned about Danshari minimalism, the idea whereby you continually reduce your needs and possessions in all areas of life. 

I also like the Kanji calligraphy and art. As someone who writes by hand, I was delighted to see that Tawada usually writes using a pencil and Japanese manuscript paper. It seems that Japanese culture places a great emphasis on neatness and economic living, which makes me wonder whether Japanese is a succint language. 

Can any Japanese people comment on this?

Several things that Tawada said in this video resonate with me. For example, she found it difficult to translate one of her books from Japanese to German, because she wanted to write the work in a whole new way. She also values seeing from a different perspective through exophonic writing. 

I write in German, though I have not published anything in the language. Personally, I like the more formal and complex style of expression, which can seem wordy in English. I also find the stricter grammar more attractive, compared to the fluidity of English. 

bookworm・書迷・ 本の虫

万年活字中毒者の私。読むものが無いと不安になってしまう。

例えば、旅の道中、しばし機上の人となる束の間の時間も、うっかりリュックに本やkindleを入れるのを忘れると大変。小さくパニック。これから数時間、何を読めばいいのか？！そんな時は搭乗口で配られる新聞を片っ端から手にして乗り込むしかない。もしくは機内誌に頼るか。

そんな感じなので、普段からリュックには複数の本が入っていて重い。kindleを使い始めてから少し荷物は軽くなったとはいえ、まだ重い。だけど、その重さに見合うだけの面白さを感じる本だけを選んでリュックに詰める。これが毎回悩ましいのだけど。

この10連休中は良書との出会いに恵まれて、脳も眼も休む暇がなかった。

「エクソフォニー」多和田葉子著

「数学する身体」森田真生著

「身体の言い分」内田樹・池上六朗著

そして、いつぶりだか思い出せないくらい前に読んだ吉本ばななさんの「キッチン」最初に読んだ頃の若くて青臭かった自分と現在の自分が本をとおして「再会する」という貴重な読書体験だった。

たまたま同時期に手にした作者も内容も異なる本たちが、自分に同じようなメッセージを持って来たりもして、本との出会いも人とのご縁に似て、不思議を感じる。