#modernforeignlanguages

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Why Write in a Foreign Language?

DeborahAD1995 published a post on Ko-fi.com

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).

  If you would like to improve your writing in English, French, or German (fiction & nonfiction), feel free to commission my services here! 

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Language Study Books

My masterlist of foreign language study resources. 

Prices may vary on the titles shown here. Some may be available in digital format at a lower price, however, digital titles are not reflected here as I prefer to use physical books. 

Of course, many of these books are available from good libraries. 

FRENCH

Barron’s: 501 French Verbs

Barron’s: Mastering French Vocabulary

Bescherelle: La conjugaison, L’orthographe, La grammaire

Bishop & Hazelwindt: Developing Writing Skills in French

Causa & Mègre: Production Écrite (C1/C2, also available for A1+)

Hawkins & Towell: French Grammar and Usage

Jubb: French Grammar in Context

Knight, Stevenson, Arragon: Living French

Oxford: French Dictionary

Rey: Le Petit Robert

Stillman & Gordon: French Vocabulary Drills

Tracey: Essential French Grammar

GERMAN

Barron’s: Mastering German Vocabulary

Buckley & Coggle: Living German

Collins: German Essential Dictionary

Duden: Deutsch Als Fremdsprache Standardwörterbuch

Fehringer: German Grammar in Context

Hammer, Durrell: German Grammar and Usage

Helbig/Buscha: Übungsgrammatik Deutsch

Helbig/Buscha: Deutsche Grammatik

Stillman, Godor et. al,: German Vocabulary Drills

Swick: German Grammar Drills

Wolf, Trump: 501 Essential German Verbs

GERMAN (for French speakers)

As I have suggested before, people who have attained a strong level in one language should learn the subsequent language not in their mother tongue, but their second language. In this vein, I study German using French, as well as English resources. 

If you speak French and wish to learn German, I recommend the following resources:

Bescherelle Allemand pour tous: Verbes, Vocabulaire, Grammaire

Larousse: Dictionnaire poche français-allemand/allemand-français

RUSSIAN

A small, but growing list on Russian language study.

Brown: Russian Course

Oxford: Russian Dictionary

RUSSIAN (for French speakers)

Highly recommended for French speakers who are learning Russian:

Zeltchenko: Je parle russe! 

Zeltchenko: Je parle russe, Niveau 2

HEBREW

This list focuses more on Biblical Hebrew than modern. 

Anderson: Prayerbook Hebrew

Davidson: Introductory Hebrew Grammar

Scharfstein: Shilo Pocket Hebrew Dictionary

Simon: The First Hebrew Primer

HEBREW (for French speakers)

Feldhendler: 50 Règles Essentielles Hébreu

GREEK

Holton: Greek, A comprehensive grammar

Oxford: Classical Greek Dictionary

Oxford: Grammar of Classical Greek

Wenham: The Elements of New Testament Greek

LATIN

Cambridge: Latin Course Book I

Cambridge: Latin Course Book II

Collins: Latin Dictionary and Grammar

Jones & Sidwell: Reading Latin Grammar and Exercises

Jones & Sidwell: Reading Latin Text and Vocabulary

Linney: Getting started with Latin

Oxford: Latin Dictionary

LATIN (for German speakers)

Highly recommend this history of German:

Leonhardt: Latein, Geschichte einer Weltsprache

ARABIC

Collins: Arabic Essential Dictionary

Diouri: Read and write Arabic Script

Peters: Very simple Arabic script

Wightwick & Gaafar: Mastering Arabic Grammar

MANDARIN CHINESE

Heisig & Richardson: Remembering simplified Hanzi

Liu: New Practical Chinese Reader

P-Ching: Chinese, An essential grammar

Ross: Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar