British English, American English...

mab · Aug 12, 2008

I've always been aware that Brits, Americans, Canadians, Australians etc use different syntax, vocabulary, slang etc. In fact I find it quite fascinating. Recently on AW I've spotted a couple of people remarking on a poster's British syntax when I never noticed it.

It does annoy me a bit when the spell-checker tries to get me to write it the American way. It also annoys me when people think contemporary British means Olde Worlde or 'What ho, Jeeves!' as no-one speaks like that, ever. With this in mind, I probably wouldn't try for an American/Australian accent in my writing, I'm just bound to get it wrong.

So what do you think? Are we all that different? Do you try and write other 'accents' and how successful are you? And isn't it weird how we all speak the same language yet use different words for the same thing?

Nicki B · Aug 12, 2008

The same thing occurs in Spanish. I thought for the longest time that I spoke perfect, fluent Spanish and could travel to all Spanish-speaking countries with no problem. Well, come to find out I speak "Mexican/Central American" Spanish, which is looked down upon in South American countries and Spain.

The important thing to remember when writing is to address your reader. Are the majority of your readers from Australia, the US, the UK? In general, folks who speak English worldwide should be able to understand you, so long as you don't use too much slang and colloquialisms. But, if you can find that your readers are from a particular location, use that English dialect to write.

qwerty · Aug 12, 2008

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.
--George Bernard Shaw

Mab, you should change your spell checker to UK English.

There's an amusing thing about pudding language here http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/

I have written American characters. Listening to dialogue in American films is a good way to suss out the difference between US and UK syntax.

Mind you, I'm a Suffolk lass, so thee and me talk different anyroad. For starters, I have a phonetic R in glass, tha knows.

mab · Aug 12, 2008

Nicki B said:
The same thing occurs in Spanish. I thought for the longest time that I spoke perfect, fluent Spanish and could travel to all Spanish-speaking countries with no problem. Well, come to find out I speak "Mexican/Central American" Spanish, which is looked down upon in South American countries and Spain.

The important thing to remember when writing is to address your reader. Are the majority of your readers from Australia, the US, the UK? In general, folks who speak English worldwide should be able to understand you, so long as you don't use too much slang and colloquialisms. But, if you can find that your readers are from a particular location, use that English dialect to write.

Oh, that's interesting about Spanish! I think most English speakers understand me as long as long as I don't go all broad Yorkshire. 'Appen.
There's an example in your post actually, most people in the UK would never say 'folks who speak...' it would be 'folk' or 'people'. So 'folks' must be American.

Mr Flibble · Aug 12, 2008

Mind you, I'm a Suffolk lass, so thee and me talk different anyroad. For starters, I have a phonetic R in glass, tha knows.

Aye, but thee 'n me might talk fair bit close, izznet. At least us'n talks the Queen's English

I don't have the trouble of 'doing' an american accent ( I write fantasy) bu I do use a fair bit of 'word choice' dialect to show that some people talk the same language differently. At least I can decide which words go with which area

SPMiller · Aug 12, 2008

If I actually wrote the way I speak, I'm sure the ways in which my dialect differs from yours would be more obvious.

However, I have a tendency toward GAE constructions while writing, so these differences rarely show to the casual observer.

mab · Aug 12, 2008

qwerty said:
England and America are two countries separated by a common language.
--George Bernard Shaw

Mab, you should change your spell checker to UK English.

There's an amusing thing about pudding language here http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/

I have written American characters. Listening to dialogue in American films is a good way to suss out the difference between US and UK syntax.

Mind you, I'm a Suffolk lass, so thee and me talk different anyroad. For starters, I have a phonetic R in glass, tha knows.

Oh, I've tried....spellcheckers and me just don't get along! I feel like I know a lot of American terms from films/tv/internet etc, but I do worry that whatever I tried would sound like bill and ted meets bart simpson meets buffy.

Glars! Its GLASS, to rhyme with LASS! Actually I'm from the north-east where its all 'gannin' doon the toon like' but I'm growing more Yorkshire bah t' day.

ETA: LOVE the pudding link! why is it always food? flapjack, pancake, biscuit, cookie...

SPMiller · Aug 12, 2008

mab said:
Glars! Its GLASS, to rhyme with LASS!

I think you mean glarse, to rhyme with arse.

maestrowork · Aug 12, 2008

mab said:
It does annoy me a bit when the spell-checker tries to get me to write it the American way.

Actually you can set your word processor to use UK English: syntax, dictionary, etc.

So what do you think? Are we all that different? Do you try and write other 'accents' and how successful are you? And isn't it weird how we all speak the same language yet use different words for the same thing?

I'm American and I write for an American audience primarily (I don't mind if it goes international). I did have a British education, so I'm kind of a hybrid. In my first book, I sneaked in some British stuff because some of my characters are British and they live in Hong Kong. In my WIP, one of my main characters is British. Again, I try to stay true to the characters.

The US only has a history of 232 years but language evolves. In many ways we Americans like to define our own culture even as we inherited quite a bit from the Brits (or the Germans, the French, the Chinese...), including language. I don't find it annoying, just a bit confusing (especially when I tried to switch from British to American English), but mostly interesting.

mab · Aug 12, 2008

SPMiller said:
I think you mean glarse, to rhyme with arse.

glarse and arse in Dallas?

well I never!

citymouse · Aug 12, 2008

May I suggest you find beta readers for your languages. If you have an English text with Spanish or French or even Estonian phrases it would be wise, I think, to run your phrases by those who could spot problems. I speak, write, Castilian Spanish. I can make myself understood most anywhere in the SP speaking world. That said, I have run into issues in the high Andes where my perfect accent makes people laugh.

Beware however, if you have beta readers in say, Australia who use their Aus spell check you will get back spellings that are not US or even Canadian. Frankly different spellings can add colour (oops, color) to your text. Most people who read a lot can spot and read past these differences.
C

maestrowork · Aug 12, 2008

Those with glass arses shouldn't sit on sharp chairs.

qwerty · Aug 12, 2008

Ah, but lass rhymes with ass. So depends on which side of t'pond thee's on.

Ee, lad Ah oop ya dunt ave trooble at'mill.

SPMiller · Aug 12, 2008

mab said:
glarse and arse in Dallas? well I never!

Nah, I don't use r-colored vowels in that context.

But the sound change being regular--that's my point

qwerty · Aug 12, 2008

maestrowork said:
Those with glass arses shouldn't sit on sharp chairs.

Hang on, it has to be glars arses or glass asses.

Mr Flibble · Aug 12, 2008

Bah those northerners divvent knaa hoo te taak . Glass ryhmes wi arse, an that's the bottom line

qwerty · Aug 12, 2008

IdiotsRUs said:
Glass ryhmes wi arse, an that's the bottom line

Was that pun intended?

mab · Aug 12, 2008

maestrowork said:
Actually you can set your word processor to use UK English: syntax, dictionary, etc.

Actually my WP is ok, but I write a lot online and bloody Firefox thinks 'colour' is spelt 'color'. The cheek of it! (Off topic: Can be changed and how!?)

I like what you say about language evolving. So true. UK is evolving to copy US in a lot of ways. A lot of people in the UK are very anti American-English as we're so bombarded with it. I'm fine with it and use Americanisms quite a lot, I'd hate for us to lose our regional quirks though. Boring if everyone was the same! Must be good to be a 'hybrid' with more than one influence, great for writing!

Mr Flibble · Aug 12, 2008

qwerty said:
Was that pun intended?

All my puns are both bad and intended

Mab, just accept that the Americans can't spell

and have fun correcting the bloody know it all spellchecker.

*puts on crash hat and runs for cover*

SPMiller · Aug 12, 2008

Here's something I do that pisses off even Americans: I regularly excise the unnecessary -ue off the ends of words such as catalog, prolog, analog, epilog, and demagog. I'm also this close to replacing -ough with -u in certain contexts.

I also add an e to judgment because it's better that way.

And I agree that grey is the correct spelling of that word.

mab · Aug 12, 2008

qwerty said:
Ee, lad Ah oop ya dunt ave trooble at'mill.

ee, tha daft apeth, I'm reet narked at tha moithering.

mab · Aug 12, 2008

SPMiller said:
Here's something I do that pisses off even Americans: I regularly excise the unnecessary -ue off the ends of words such as catalog, prolog, analog, epilog, and demagog. I'm also this close to replacing -ough with -u in certain contexts.

Catalog, thru...Blasphemer!!

SPMiller said:
And I agree that grey is the correct spelling of that word.

OK, your sins are forgiven, whew!

Mom'sWrite · Aug 12, 2008

IdiotsRUs said:
Mab, just accept that the Americans can't spell

Ahmeerikans speel gud. Duh.

qwerty · Aug 12, 2008

I have a southern belle friend whose daydee was the dayputy shareef. I met her in Doobi, and she had to explain to me what a dayveeled aig dish was.

Why is through thru and tough is tuff? Oime but a Suffick gal meself, so oi dun't know bout thart. But oi reckon as how you up north lot hev two Rs in father loike what we doo.

TheIT · Aug 12, 2008

One of my favorite books is the British/American Travel Dictionary I picked up a few years ago. It's amazing how many phrases have different connotations depending on where you are.

British English, American English...

Board Fanatic in Training

exiled Brit

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Prodigiously Hanged

Prodigiously Hanged

Fear the Death Ray

fantasy dweller

Fear the Death Ray

exiled Brit

Prodigiously Hanged

exiled Brit

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

exiled Brit

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Prodigiously Hanged

Service with a smile

exiled Brit

Infuriatingly Theoretical