#language gap

I’m thinking of writing a bloodymary AU where Simon immigrates to the USA, coming from a small country run by a cult-like religion that put emphasis on shame, rules, and obedience.

He moves in with an American. Struggles with the culture and language gap. Adjusts his prayer schedule to the new standards. Falls in love. Gets disowned because of it. Has to come to terms with it all.

As a ✨professsional✨ at getting disowned and shamed by church members and family for my recent life choices, I’m super excited to write it.

Hope you’re excited to read.

First time would be every time the list of descendants of one son of Noaḥ is concluded: from those were split the nations to their tongues or something like that. Did I mention I'm doing this from memory? Anyway, I'm counting it once because it gets repetitive.

The Tower of Babel. Kind of obvious. "Let us go down and mix their languages" and all that.

Yegar Sahaduta/Gal‘ed. You'd think living with your uncle/father in law for twenty years will make it so you both speak the same language and call places the same name. Apparently not, because Lavan and Ya‘akov insist on giving that rock pile names in two different languages.

"But they did not know that Yoseph understands them, for there was a translator between them". At least, if that's what Melitz means, which seems likely in context. Yosef and his brothers in Egypt, back when they don't know it's him.

Next time anything of the sort is mentioned would probably be "nation you know not the tongue of", but I'm not sure if it's in the cursed in Vayikra or Devarim. If it's Devarim, then I suppose the various names for mount Ḥermon count as well, so:

Various names of Mount Ḥermon. And of the Refa’im. Might be a language thing, might be something slightly different, since most of those languages are mutually comprehensible. But it's probably language.

As far as I remember, the next one would be the one I just learned: Ravshake coming to Jerusalem to scare everyone in it, the ministers of Hezekiah asking him to speak Aramaic and not Hebrew (si as not to destroy the morale), and he doesn't care about it at all. Fun stuff.

Then you get the one verse in Aramaic in Jeremiah, which I'm pretty sure is singular. We're not getting another language until the Ketuvim.

In which we get "so the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic..." In Daniel, at which point it turns into Aramaic until the author recalls to use his Hebrew.

‘Ezra and Neḥemyah also have fun Aramaic portions. Mainly ‘Ezra.

Forgot the book of Esther - the one tine every nation gets stuff in its language. So that's acknowledging the language barrier I suppose.

Challenge #04306-K288: Shared Words

They were not a deregger escapee, but out on the edge, had suffered almost as much as one, at least psychological abuse. It was hard for them to stand up for themselves, and they wept often. But when it came to helping others? That is where they showed they still had some backbone left. -- The New Guy

Many Deregger escapees are broken birds. Shy to say the least of it. Soft-spoken, frequently terrified of breaking the rules. Even the rules they have in their heads. Fossil phantoms of their past terrors, care of fascist despots whose only care was profit. Even when they left those lawmakers behind, the laws haunted them.

In such a mental landscape, it's easy to want to vanish. Deregger escapees are wont to blend with the wallpaper. They keep their heads down, work hard, and try not to make a fuss or be a bother.

Alliance systems of support often have trouble with Deregger expatriates. Starting with accepting Alliance company, and including worrying about how to pay for gratis services. But the trick was, get Dereggers to help Dereggers.

Palmer Keen travels with his Hugh Tracey Alto kalimba and uses it to make new friends. He writes:

A human, intent on preparing a treat for havenworlder shipmates, orders a large amount of sugar. Due to a mix-up somewhere along the line, this human receives a large delivery of sugarcane instead and, well, "waste not, want not" -- Anon Guest

"Wait. Why is this shipment in bales? I said 'boxes'..." Human Thal checked their invoice archives. "That's a 'B' in the receipt, but it doesn't say what that stands for... Oh shit, that's a big number..."

Something had yet again gone wrong with the Ships' Human who refused to use Rosetta Stone translation software when ordering from Alliance corporations who also refused to use Rosetta Stone software. No matter how many times the crew insisted that the software was useful, Human Thal insisted that it was a way to monitor activities.

Besides, Human Thal insisted, all network shops were identical. How badly could anyone possibly flakk things up? Everyone who knew the inherent prejudices of the Universe knew better than to ask questions that gave it the opportunity for demonstrations.