I think it's easier to learn a few facts about what sort of shoes someone might have worn in the fifties or something than to learn an entire language. And in almost every case, it's not necessary to actually use the language in question, anyway.
But in a way, I actually agree with you. People SHOULD write more of what they know and do more of their own research and perhaps this comm wouldn't be necessary.
This community, to me, most of the time helps people start their research rather than do it all for them. How many posts have you seen saying "I've googled, I've wikied, and I don't know where to start"? Many replies are just links to helpful sites and may well not be enough information to base an entire book on, but still gets the writer started in the right direction.
No one is saying that you have to learn the language before using it except you. You just have to be careful: go to a reliable source for translations, get the translations double-checked...
It's not necessary to include a lot of details, but those details can still add a lot to a story. Perhaps not for you, if you have such a knee-jerk reaction, but as a person interested in linguistics I really enjoy seeing other languages in the stories I read.
People SHOULD write more of what they know and do more of their own research and perhaps this comm wouldn't be necessary.
If this is your opinion, I have to wonder why you're even here.
Very true, but a short phrase, carefully researched and verified, doesn't hurt.
Which seems to be all the OP is asking for.
I've seen daft queries now and again, from folk who seemed to be imagining that with a word list they could write entire passages of dialogue in a language without ever meeting a fluent speaker, let alone learning it themselves.
Find a way around it.
Use italics and say something like,
In her mother tongue, she spoke the moving words, "Yes, of course! We shall never forget our own language"!
Waaaay better option.
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You can't look stupid (or even possibly offend someone) if you write what you know.
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As for "write what you know," if everyone followed that advice, then we'd have to shut this comm down.
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But in a way, I actually agree with you. People SHOULD write more of what they know and do more of their own research and perhaps this comm wouldn't be necessary.
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It's not necessary to include a lot of details, but those details can still add a lot to a story. Perhaps not for you, if you have such a knee-jerk reaction, but as a person interested in linguistics I really enjoy seeing other languages in the stories I read.
People SHOULD write more of what they know and do more of their own research and perhaps this comm wouldn't be necessary.
If this is your opinion, I have to wonder why you're even here.
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Which seems to be all the OP is asking for.
I've seen daft queries now and again, from folk who seemed to be imagining that with a word list they could write entire passages of dialogue in a language without ever meeting a fluent speaker, let alone learning it themselves.
This query is _not_ one of them.
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