Lithuania
In Lithuania, the official language is Lithuanian, but they also speak a variety of other languages as shown in Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Out of necessity, Lina, Jonas, her mother, and the other prisoners learned Russian in order to survive and make deals with the Russian-fluent Soviets and NKVD. “She quickly made her way to the window, swapped places with Jonas, and yelled out in Russian. They replied. The energy in her voice lifted and she began to speak quickly, pulling for breaths in between questions.” (69 Sepetys), in this section, Lina’s mother was quickly questioning the soldiers and translating for the others so they could know what was going on and where their spouses may be traveling to, in hopes that they could meet up at a later time back home. She was able to use her extensive knowledge of the Russian language and Lithuanian to help aid those sharing the train car with her family. The novel perfectly preserves how the Lithuanian prisoners used their language skills to aid in their survival throughout the journey to Siberia.
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Costa Rica
Language of the Costa Rican culture is shown through the characters of the book. As the main characters travel to Costa Rica, one civilian there says to them, “Reconnecting with your people, amigo” (Banks 102)? At first the character speaks English to connect with the visitors, but he ends the sentence saying amigo instead of friend to incorporate his culture’s language. By doing this, it helps set the setting in Costa Rica, and gives the reader a stronger sense of the Costa Rican culture.
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Works Cited:
Images:
Omniglot. Chavacano Alphabet and Pronunciation (Zamboanga Dialect). Omniglot. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
Omniglot. Lithuanian Alphabet (lietuvių Abėcėlė) & Pronunciation. Omniglot. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
Writing:
Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. New York: Philomel, 2011. Print.
Banks, Maya. The Darkest Hour. New York: Berkley Sensation, 2010. Print.
Images:
Omniglot. Chavacano Alphabet and Pronunciation (Zamboanga Dialect). Omniglot. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
Omniglot. Lithuanian Alphabet (lietuvių Abėcėlė) & Pronunciation. Omniglot. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
Writing:
Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. New York: Philomel, 2011. Print.
Banks, Maya. The Darkest Hour. New York: Berkley Sensation, 2010. Print.