Write about someone who is slowly forgetting their mother tongue or losing their language.

Posted in Character on Dec 16, 2022

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✍️ 22 stories

“Taps” by L-a Troda

Submitted to Contest #177

Dad didn’t even look up when I entered the room. Selfishly, I preferred it like that. When he first contracted the virus, he would gaze up from his bed with pleading eyes as he prattled on incoherently. “Di-di | di-dah-di-di dah-dah-dah di-di-di-dah di | dah-di-dah-dah dah-dah-dah di-di-dah.”Every day. Every, single day in the beginning stages of his decline, that’s all I heard from him. There was still light behind his eyes back then. They begged me to listen to what he was saying, even though it was without meaning. I’d resp...

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“Mother Tongue Eroded for A Journey ” by Charles Okechukwu

Submitted to Contest #177

Mike just came out of the arrival lounge of Port Harcourt International Airport. “Hey! Mike. You look good. Where have you been?” Jane quizzed as she descended the airport terminal steps. “I just arrived from UK. Eh! Jane, we are seeing again after so many years.” Mike hugged her warmly. “You haven’t changed Mike.” Jane said, examining his muscular frame while touching him. Mike smiled. “Ke kwanu ka ulo di?” “(How is your home?)”Jane asked him. Mike smiling said, “Everyone is doing well.” Jane rejoined Mike after collecting her bag at ...

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“Now I am the Only One” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #177

The Sadness So my old buddy Frank has died. Now I am the only one. No one but me can speak our language anymore. It was great speaking and listening to him in the words of our people, even if it was only over the phone, as he lived so far away. I know of no other person left who has the language. All those wonderful stories will have no listeners that will understand them like my generation did when we were raised with them as they were told in the lan...

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“The Artist” by Otter Otter

Submitted to Contest #177

I take my glasses off to wipe them, unable to read the words before me. After placing them back onto my face, I realize that it changed nothing. What did these words say? My mind doesn't keep up, yet my hand continues to move. Were these words my thoughts? Is my brain trying to protect me? I would've thought that at least focusing on a word would allow me to understand, but it doesn't. I take a moment to stop. Outside of my window, a flurry of white. It looks like a blizzard. I check the calendar, yet don't know what month it is. It should...

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“Percy, the old rebel Swede” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #177

Percy, the old rebel SwedeThere are no other sounds here at Kangaroo Point besides the heavy traffic passing over The Story Bridge. Main Street is always quiet. It is like being at a dead end and yet there is so much life there in the city across the river. This seems to be a secret place where the fruit bats hang in the paw paw trees at night and the rain flows under the wooden houses like a never-ending river. It is hot, humid and it smells of frangipanis and the tropics. We like sitting in the park under the big Moreton Bay fig tree in th...

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“Crows and a Writer” by Ella Bennett

Submitted to Contest #177

My everlasting passion for writing never failed me and it never struggled to show in my stories. I’d write about silly fantasies a person could only dream of; fiction just stood out to me as yellow does in a grey-scale painting. My writing history traces back to my four-year-old self. I couldn’t tell you what I’d write about, but you can bet it didn’t make much sense. Regardless, my family always said I had great potential, even when I would write mindlessly with no planning as I did at four. But I wouldn’t just write about fable ideas my br...

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“"A little away from Home"” by Zamauri King

Submitted to Contest #177

"Sadie, never forget where you came from", these were the words of my mother, of course back then her English wasn't as fluent as my father's, but those words still sprung into my mind as clear as day. I'm sitting in my kitchen, staring at the boiling pot of chopped up pork, tomatoes, and onions on the stove under a dimly lit light. I took a long sigh and tried to get all my thoughts together. It seems a little harder cooking dinner, even though the smell of garlic and various spices filled the air. And my appetite wasn't as strong as before...

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Contest #177

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Write about someone who is slowly forgetting their mother tongue or losing their language.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 22 stories

“Taps” by L-a Troda

“Mother Tongue Eroded for A Journey ” by Charles Okechukwu

“Now I am the Only One” by John Steckley

“The Artist” by Otter Otter

“Percy, the old rebel Swede” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

“Crows and a Writer” by Ella Bennett

“"A little away from Home"” by Zamauri King

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about two or more characters who don't speak each other's language (literally or metaphorically), but still find a way to communicate.

Set your story in a meeting where a professional interpreter takes some liberties, with major consequences.

Lost in a foreign city where they don’t speak the language, your character uses a translation app to get around, but constantly runs into problems.

Write a story about a character who struggles to translate their thoughts and feelings into words and action.

Contest #177

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

150

Contest entries

70

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: