American characters in English books/ English characters in American books

slyelessar · Jan 11, 2015

I wondered if I could have your thoughts on this... I have discussed this with American friends of mine, but I'd like to get an overall view.

(I will refer to American English as 'American', and British English as 'English' - yes I realise 'British' would seem to make more general sense in this context, but let me run with it).

I have read books written by American authors that have English characters within their novels that use American spellings in their speech, and vice-versa. I can see why this would be a good idea, because it doesn't make you stop and think about it too much.

On the other hand...

I always try to make characters 'feel' a certain way with the way they speak (obviously you can run into stereotypes here, so you have to be careful). I had the idea of writing a short story with two old friends, one English, and one American. I thought it might be interesting instead of writing the American characters speech lines with English spelling like 'Colour' and use the American spelling of 'color' to add a more authentic feel. The English character would use the English spelling of the word.

Would this be frustrating to read?

The reason I have used 'American' and 'English' is because it is based on a friendship I have had for some time, where we both refer to the way we speak "Well in American it's aluminum, but of course being English, you say Aluminium". This is context in which it will be used.

I am very tired. Writing this without proof reading it first probably isn't a good idea. Hopefully it makes sense. I must stress I am not trying to offend anyone with this, it will be based on actual people, and will involve a good deal of humour.

EDIT: I must also stress I do not write the same way I type out very quick/rough threads

Lillith1991 · Jan 11, 2015

slyelessar said:
I wondered if I could have your thoughts on this... I have discussed this with American friends of mine, but I'd like to get an overall view.

(I will refer to American English as 'American', and British English as 'English' - yes I realise 'British' would seem to make more general sense in this context, but let me run with it).

I have read books written by American authors that have English characters within their novels that use American spellings in their speech, and vice-versa. I can see why this would be a good idea, because it doesn't make you stop and think about it too much.

On the other hand...

I always try to make characters 'feel' a certain way with the way they speak (obviously you can run into stereotypes here, so you have to be careful). I had the idea of writing a short story with two old friends, one English, and one American. I thought it might be interesting instead of writing the American characters speech lines with English spelling like 'Colour' and use the American spelling of 'color' to add a more authentic feel. The English character would use the English spelling of the word.

This would involve 3rd person narration rather than POV narration (although that could be interesting switching between the two?).

Would this be frustrating to read?

The reason I have used 'American' and 'English' is because it is based on a friendship I have had for some time, where we both refer to the way we speak "Well in American it's aluminum, but of course being English, you say Aluminium". This is context in which it will be used.

I am very tired. Writing this without proof reading it first probably isn't a good idea. Hopefully it makes sense. I must stress I am not trying to offend anyone with this, it will be based on actual people, and will involve a good deal of humour.

EDIT: I must also stress I do not write the same way I type out very quick/rough threads

What do you mean by the bolded? 3rd Person is a narative POV that can be told either in close or a more removed normal distance. Omniscient and First Person are also POVs a narative can take.

As for the question of fitting things like spelling to each of the characters? I personally wouldn't do it. My experience with this comes from fanfiction of the Sherlock variety instead of somewhere else, but I find it jarring to read when there's a switch in how words like color are spelled depending on who's talking. There's other ways like they way they say something to get across one is a Brit and the other American, just as someone from New England and Georgia don't sound the same despite still both being Americans. And just like someone from one part of Britain or even England specifically sounds different than someone from another part.

slyelessar · Jan 11, 2015

Lillith1991 said:
What do you mean by the bolded? 3rd Person is a narative POV that can be told either in close or a more removed normal distance. Omniscient and First Person are also POVs a narative can take.

As for the question of fitting things like spelling to each of the characters? I personally wouldn't do it. My experience with this comes from fanfiction of the Sherlock variety instead of somewhere else, but I find it jarring to read when there's a switch in how words like color are spelled depending on who's talking. There's other ways like they way they say something to get across one is a Brit and the other American, just as someone from New England and Georgia don't sound the same despite still both being Americans. And just like someone from one part of Britain or even England specifically sounds different than someone from another part.

I meant first person vs omniscient. I will change the original post.

I would make other differences to make it apparent (hence the making them 'feel' a certain way), but thanks for your opinion. I look forward to seeing what others say.

Sonsofthepharaohs · Jan 11, 2015

slyelessar said:
I meant first person vs omniscient. I will change the original post.

These are still not mutually exclusive. You can have a first or third person omniscient, and you can have a first or third person close.

Which are you doing?

Bufty · Jan 11, 2015

Humour based upon misunderstanding of word choice or usage is perfectly normal but I can't see anything to be gained by showing the reader how people spell their dialogue.

I'm not going to understand dialogue any better because the spellings of the same word vary by a vowel here and there. Indeed it could be frustrating and distracting to read and wonder if this or that is a deliberate mis-spelling or an error.

slyelessar · Jan 11, 2015

Kallithrix said:
These are still not mutually exclusive. You can have a first or third person omniscient, and you can have a first or third person close.

Which are you doing?

To avoid confusion, let me take out this section. Which would you recommend?

This is currently a side project.

Unimportant · Jan 11, 2015

crap, double posted

Unimportant · Jan 11, 2015

slyelessar said:
I have read books written by American authors that have English characters within their novels that use American spellings in their speech, and vice-versa. I can see why this would be a good idea, because it doesn't make you stop and think about it too much.

It's generally due to house style. A British publisher putting out books for a British audience will use British English. An American publisher putting out books for an American audience will use American English.

slyelessar said:
Would this be frustrating to read?

The reason I have used 'American' and 'English' is because it is based on a friendship I have had for some time, where we both refer to the way we speak "Well in American it's aluminum, but of course being English, you say Aluminium". This is context in which it will be used.

Yes, it would be frustrating to read. Americans and English do speak differently, spell differently, and use different vocabularies. There are very many ways of getting that across in a story without swapping back and forth how words are spelt in the narrative.

LJD · Jan 11, 2015

I wouldn't bother. Publishers typically have style guides that they follow. My publisher uses American English. Although my books are set in Canada, American spelling is used. This is not merely for words that may be pronounced the same color/colour, but also toward/towards, for example. (Apparently "towards" is more common in British English.)

slyelessar · Jan 11, 2015

Thanks for all your feedback. It makes sense to not switch between the two.

beckethm · Jan 11, 2015

I recently beta read a novel written by another AW member that had two POV characters, one American and one British. For the sections in the American character's point of view she used American spellings; for the British character she used British spelling and British slang. I found it to be a subtle but effective way to differentiate the characters' voices.

The challenge with this approach, of course, is to make each "accent" consistent and authentic. Unless you have lived for some length of time in both the U.S. and the UK, you probably need a critique partner or beta reader from the other side of the pond to help you get it right.

slyelessar · Jan 11, 2015

beckethm said:
I recently beta read a novel written by another AW member that had two POV characters, one American and one British. For the sections in the American character's point of view she used American spellings; for the British character she used British spelling and British slang. I found it to be a subtle but effective way to differentiate the characters' voices.

The challenge with this approach, of course, is to make each "accent" consistent and authentic. Unless you have lived for some length of time in both the U.S. and the UK, you probably need a critique partner or beta reader from the other side of the pond to help you get it right.

This is sort of the idea I had. I have several American friends from different parts of the US that I'd get to read a later draft (or have them work along side me).

At the moment this is not currently a project I have going on, but perhaps in the future.

StephanieZie · Jan 11, 2015

Personally, I don't think it would trip me up, and if done well, it could have the effect you're going for. As an American, when I read the word "colour" it's a subtle cue that the person speaking is not from the US, similar to the effect of words like "mum" or "bin" (for trashcan), or particularly English expressions like "I haven't got time" (as opposed to 'I don't have time'). Execution is king, but I don't think the spelling differences in and of themselves would make me stop reading.

I think giving characters distinct voices in dialogue is all about subtleties. We can't physically hear this person talking, so how unobtrusively can we slip in the idea that he or she has a particular accent or way of speaking? Spelling is fair game, IMO. In the same way you might mark a less educated character's speech with words such as "git" or "gonna" or "what'cha", even though these expressions, when spoken, may not sound all that different than "get" or "going to" or "what do you", but they can serve as markers for education level, socioeconomic status, race, etc.

That said, I have no idea how something like this would be received on the publishing end of things, and you might find a publisher's particular style requires either one spelling or the other.

angeliz2k · Jan 11, 2015

More than spelling separates American and British English (word choice, syntax). You don't want to differentiate the voices by spelling alone; that wouldn't be very realistic or effective. Your reader needs to be convinced of the American-ness and British-ness of the characters without needing to be clued in by spelling changes.

I hope that doesn't sound pedantic. You seem to have a pretty good grip already on what you need to do. The fact that you're thinking about it and asking the question is 90% of the battle won!

FWIW, a British publisher will probably want British spelling throughout, no matter who's talking. The reverse is true of American publishers.

frimble3 · Jan 11, 2015

As a Canadian reader, I have to say I probably wouldn't notice the spelling. I sometimes check spelling to see if I'm reading an English or American author, (I read a lot of fantasy, so 'bin' vs. 'trashcan' doesn't help much) but I read books in English-English, American-English, American editions of British books, British editions of American books, so after a while, it's sort of a blur. (Which explains my spelling, as well.

)
I think word choice would be a bigger indicator. 'Truck' vs 'lorry', etc.

And, yeah, when you submit this to an agent or publisher, probably best to mention that you did the spelling thing deliberately.

lexxi · Jan 11, 2015

I am American, my first person narrator is American, therefore I will use American spelling throughout.

A handful of the characters are British, so I try to indicate their dialect through word choice, syntax, etc. Just as I do for the various American characters with different speech patterns.

Sometimes that includes nonstandard spellings like "gonna" or "woulda," etc.

One character has a quirk that he speaks in a different dialect every day, so sometimes I go a little overboard in spelling the dialect the way it sounds, -in' instead of -ing endings, for example, just to establish his accent of the day and to remind readers next time we see him that day.

But if we're just talking about a standard word that is spelled differently in one country or the other but used in the character's established accent, I/my narrator would always use the American spelling.

Polenth · Jan 12, 2015

Talking only about words where you have to see them written down to see the difference, I think it works best with first person narrators in their own sections. It makes sense that a character writes a story using their usual spellings. It doesn't make much sense for them to switch on a line-by-line basis, as people don't usually do that.

Words that sound different are a different thing though. Mum / mom and toward / towards are said differently, so I'd use it based on the character speaking. They're not going to suddenly switch dialects because they're not the viewpoint character.

Once! · Jan 12, 2015

The different spellings might be a bit gimmicky. It's a clever idea, but I don't think a publisher or a reader would accept it.

You can get a similar effect by the choice of words - elevator or lift, sidewalk or pavement, motorway or freeway, Jaguar or Yagwah.

Okay, maybe not the last one.

But I'd be a bit nervous about a generic English or British character, in the same way that I would be nervous about a generic American character. A Texan doesn't sound like someone from New York. Someone from London doesn't sound like someone from Liverpool or Newcastle or Edinburgh. Heck, even within London there are dozens (if not hundreds) of different accents and ways of speaking.

slyelessar · Jan 12, 2015

Once! said:
The different spellings might be a bit gimmicky. It's a clever idea, but I don't think a publisher or a reader would accept it.

You can get a similar effect by the choice of words - elevator or lift, sidewalk or pavement, motorway or freeway, Jaguar or Yagwah.

Okay, maybe not the last one.

But I'd be a bit nervous about a generic English or British character, in the same way that I would be nervous about a generic American character. A Texan doesn't sound like someone from New York. Someone from London doesn't sound like someone from Liverpool or Newcastle or Edinburgh. Heck, even within London there are dozens (if not hundreds) of different accents and ways of speaking.

Haha.

Different words and phrases from different parts of England/US would obviously be used regardless.

I can see why this would not be popular with editors/publishers.

Debbie V · Jan 12, 2015

I think I'd see some of the spellings as errors at first, until I caught on that this i what you were doing. Then, I would know this was intended, but you'd be shining a light on yourself and not the story.

I'd use word choice and syntax more than spelling changes.

Jamesaritchie · Jan 12, 2015

Write for where you live. Which spelling to use is an issue for the editor.

Rufus Coppertop · Jan 13, 2015

I'd possibly see it as a bit gimmicky. I think you could do a lot with subtle variations that aren't just spelling. Towards rather than toward, for example.

Or aeroplane for the Englishman and airplane for the American.

SianaBlackwood · Jan 13, 2015

I don't think I'd even pick up on it if I was reading a book with deliberate spelling variations like that. The only time I notice US/UK spelling differences is when it turns out that's the reason my code doesn't work.

Katharine Tree · Jan 14, 2015

Agree with other posters that it would be distracting and gimmicky.

There are plenty of vocabulary, syntax, and idiomatic usages to differentiate dialects in your text.

Roxxsmom · Jan 14, 2015

Kallithrix said:
These are still not mutually exclusive. You can have a first or third person omniscient, and you can have a first or third person close.

Which are you doing?

This. Your approach to narrative depth/immediacy within a given pov will determine the language you use.

I suspect that any approach you take (if you do it well) will be liked by some and not others.

If you are writing in limited third and shooting a closer or deeper narrative distance, there will be readers who will look at narrative inconsistencies between characters as "mistakes" on the part of the writer, rather than an attempt to put the narrative in the voice of the pov character. But there will be readers who won't like it if you pick omniscient or a more distant version of limited third either. There are people who dislike first person as well, regardless of whether it's closer or more distant.

American characters in English books/ English characters in American books

slyelessar

Lillith1991

The Hobbit-Vulcan hybrid

slyelessar

Sonsofthepharaohs

Still writing the ancient Egyptian tetralogy

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

slyelessar

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.

LJD

slyelessar

beckethm

slyelessar

StephanieZie

Trust me, I'm a doctor

angeliz2k

never mind the shorty

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

lexxi

bold enough for both those XXs

Polenth

Mushroom

Once!

Still confused by shoelaces

slyelessar

Debbie V

Mentoring Myself and Others

Jamesaritchie

Rufus Coppertop

SianaBlackwood

Katharine Tree

Þæt wæs god cyning

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido