Foreign Words
Encyclopedia
Foreign Words is a novel by Greek author Vassilis Alexakis that tells the story of middle-aged writer Nicolaides and his decision to learn the African language Sango following the death of his father. The novel was originally published in 2002 in France as Les mots étrangers, where it was short-listed for the Renaudot Prize and the Interallié Prize. It was then translated by the author and was published in 2004 as Oi xenes lexeis in Greece, where it won the prize for best Greek novel of the year. The English translation Foreign Words was done by Alyson Waters and was published by Autumn Hill Books in 2006.
as well as the French ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.
(CAR), as his choice.
With the help of a dictionary and a textbook, Nicolaides happily delves into his study of Sango, his obsession somewhat like infatuation. It gives him, as he says, “the agreeable illusion that I can start anew.” He can put together sentences such as Baba ti mbi a kui (“my father is dead”) without feeling sad. However, as his relationship deepens and he grows closer to Sango, he can no longer find solace in its words and phrases. The example sentences in his dictionary begin to give him pause, sentences such as “I don’t even have enough money to buy salt,” and “Grandmother, why are you crying like that?”
Around this time Nicolaides meets a native of the CAR (and co-author of the Sango dictionary), Marcel Alingbindo, and his family. Marcel is eager for Nicolaides’ aid in resuscitating Sango, which is being pushed out by French down in the CAR. Marcel explains his process of introducing neologisms into Sango, and urges Nicolaides to become its advocate.
It is around this time that Nicolaides ends up arranging a trip to Bangui
, the capital of the CAR. In the interim, he returns home to Athens
, Greece, to deal with his parents’ estate. He then travels to Bangui to experience what he has only fantasized—conversations with real people, the trips he has only traced on maps, walks along the Oubangi River that was the birthplace of Sango. He is also planted smack in the middle of poverty and political unrest. He meets with writers, students, and politicians to discuss the state of Sango. What can be done to save it? Is it even worth saving? Nicolaides, even at the end of the book, does not decide what, if anything, he will do.
Georges is Nicolaides’ French publisher. It is later revealed that he has an adopted daughter from Africa.
Jean Fergusson is Nicolaides’ friend, an ethnologist and journalist who is battling skin cancer when the main action of the novel takes place. He has a relationship with a woman named Sandra, with whom he conceives a child and marries.
Alice is a married woman with whom Nicolaides has an on-again, off-again affair. In one scene she comes over to his apartment and seems to demonstrate jealousy toward his infatuation with Sango.
Paul-Marie and Mathilde Bourquin are an older married couple of linguists Nicolaides meets through his friend Jean Fergusson. They are the ones who introduce him to Sango and give him a dictionary, which was co-written by Mathilde.
Marcel Alingbindo is a native of the CAR living in France with his wife and some of his children, although he has other children who are still back in Africa. He is invested in teaching Sango as well as enriching it through the use of neologisms. He teaches Nicolaides about the use of tones in Sango and how messages can be communicated through whistling, if done correctly.
Esther is a young, attractive waitress at a restaurant in Bangui. Nicolaides wonders if she is a pupulenge, (“slut”). He would like to sleep with her, but never does.
Language – Intertwined with the other themes of the book is the permeating idea of language, old languages and new, how they can blend together or how one can dominate another (such as the relationship between French and Sango in the CAR). Of course, the idea of finding oneself anew in a new language is also illustrated through Nicolaides’ experience—as well as finding the same old self once the novelty has worn off.
Background
Vassilis Alexakis, like his protagonist Nicolaides, is a Greek writer who relocated to France, writing and translating between his native and adopted languages. The inspiration for Foreign Words comes from his own experience studying Sango after the death of his father in 1995. Foreign Words, published by Autumn Hill Books in 2006, is Alexakis’ first work to appear in English. It was published in the US with help from the National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
as well as the French ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.
Plot summary
Foreign Words tells the story of Nicolaides, a Greek writer living in Paris, whose father has recently died. His latest novel has not done well in France, and he has not been writing anything new. He decides he wants to learn a new language, a little-known African language. After being introduced to linguists Paul-Marie and Mathilde Bourquin, Nicolaides settles on Sango, spoken in the Central African RepublicCentral African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
(CAR), as his choice.
With the help of a dictionary and a textbook, Nicolaides happily delves into his study of Sango, his obsession somewhat like infatuation. It gives him, as he says, “the agreeable illusion that I can start anew.” He can put together sentences such as Baba ti mbi a kui (“my father is dead”) without feeling sad. However, as his relationship deepens and he grows closer to Sango, he can no longer find solace in its words and phrases. The example sentences in his dictionary begin to give him pause, sentences such as “I don’t even have enough money to buy salt,” and “Grandmother, why are you crying like that?”
Around this time Nicolaides meets a native of the CAR (and co-author of the Sango dictionary), Marcel Alingbindo, and his family. Marcel is eager for Nicolaides’ aid in resuscitating Sango, which is being pushed out by French down in the CAR. Marcel explains his process of introducing neologisms into Sango, and urges Nicolaides to become its advocate.
It is around this time that Nicolaides ends up arranging a trip to Bangui
Bangui
-Law and government:Bangui is an autonomous commune of the Central African Republic. With an area of 67 km², it is by far the smallest high-level administrative division of the CAR in area but the highest in population...
, the capital of the CAR. In the interim, he returns home to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece, to deal with his parents’ estate. He then travels to Bangui to experience what he has only fantasized—conversations with real people, the trips he has only traced on maps, walks along the Oubangi River that was the birthplace of Sango. He is also planted smack in the middle of poverty and political unrest. He meets with writers, students, and politicians to discuss the state of Sango. What can be done to save it? Is it even worth saving? Nicolaides, even at the end of the book, does not decide what, if anything, he will do.
Main characters
Nicolaides is the protagonist and narrator of Foreign Words. He is a Greek novelist living in France who writes in both French and Greek and translates between them. The year the story takes place, Nicolaides’ father has died. His father has left behind a letter for Nicolaides, written not by him but by his father (Nicolaides’ grandfather), and throughout the novel Nicolaides struggles with whether or not he will read this letter. What he does do is embark on a study of the Sango language.Georges is Nicolaides’ French publisher. It is later revealed that he has an adopted daughter from Africa.
Jean Fergusson is Nicolaides’ friend, an ethnologist and journalist who is battling skin cancer when the main action of the novel takes place. He has a relationship with a woman named Sandra, with whom he conceives a child and marries.
Alice is a married woman with whom Nicolaides has an on-again, off-again affair. In one scene she comes over to his apartment and seems to demonstrate jealousy toward his infatuation with Sango.
Paul-Marie and Mathilde Bourquin are an older married couple of linguists Nicolaides meets through his friend Jean Fergusson. They are the ones who introduce him to Sango and give him a dictionary, which was co-written by Mathilde.
Marcel Alingbindo is a native of the CAR living in France with his wife and some of his children, although he has other children who are still back in Africa. He is invested in teaching Sango as well as enriching it through the use of neologisms. He teaches Nicolaides about the use of tones in Sango and how messages can be communicated through whistling, if done correctly.
Esther is a young, attractive waitress at a restaurant in Bangui. Nicolaides wonders if she is a pupulenge, (“slut”). He would like to sleep with her, but never does.
Significant locations
- Paris and other parts of France
- Athens, Greece
- Bangui, Central African Republic
Major themes
Loss and aging – Foreign Words tells the story of a man working through the grief of losing his father. Throughout the novel, narrator Nicolaides reflects on his relationship with his father (and also his mother, who died before). He even carries out imaginary conversations with his father. Nicolaides also has to grapple with the fact that he himself is aging.Language – Intertwined with the other themes of the book is the permeating idea of language, old languages and new, how they can blend together or how one can dominate another (such as the relationship between French and Sango in the CAR). Of course, the idea of finding oneself anew in a new language is also illustrated through Nicolaides’ experience—as well as finding the same old self once the novelty has worn off.