Fannish Friday 5

[nolivingman]

Name your five favorite foreign-language films/series.

Where foreign is foreign to you, no matter what languages you consider your own.

Comments

[pale_moonlite]

Without that clause the implication is that "foreign" is as used for the Academy Awards, wherein the category is a film not spoken in English.

I certainly didn't see it like that. The Academy Awards are American, and for them a foreign language is a language that isn't English, sure. But I don't see why it should be the same for me. I don't think Academy Awards first when I think of films.

I'm German, and for me English is one example of a foreign language. And I read it that way when it was first posted, thinking about what would be my favorite English language movie, which is very hard to decide upon.

[eumelia]

I used the academy awards as an example for what happens when one uses "foreign" as a category.

[pale_moonlite]

Yes, of course. But it doesn't make sense. The American point of view is not everyone's point of view. And if I were to use "foreign language" as a category, it wouldn't be "non-English" but "non-German." And so "foreign language" merely means "language not your own," nothing more. Except you have a completely America-centric world view, which I didn't think was the case here.

[eumelia]

Granted, but considering that for many in fandom the vast majority of the media consumed (books, films, series etc) is in English, I don't think it's that far fetched to consider the implication being non-English.

Even if that wasn't the intention, that is what what was implied. Especially considering this post and the majority of fandom on Dreamwidth being in English.

[pale_moonlite]

I don't think it was what was implied. The mod says they meant foreign to you no matter what your language, and I believe them. While this post and the majority of fandom on DW might be in English, I doubt that English is the native language of everyone. It's simply a means to understand one another, and it may be a "foreign" language to many.

[eumelia]

Okay dude, the mod added the second part after my first comment.

It was changed and I (and I'm sure others) appreciate it. That is all.

[pale_moonlite]

It was of course nice of the mod to change it, since it bothered you so much.

[jaaaarne]

Notice how you're still the only one on the comments who insists on getting such an implication, huh. ;)

+ 1

[vane_nt]

My thoughts, exactly. :-)