tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post1636976951085975479..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: Dialect fail in books - your help?lynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48088319880769152632017-08-18T12:31:46.830+01:002017-08-18T12:31:46.830+01:00There are a couple of Lee Child examples in this b...There are a couple of Lee Child examples in this blog post: http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4684Matthew Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13241514444648624075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-89808510205216887082017-05-06T04:42:06.058+01:002017-05-06T04:42:06.058+01:00Um, aren't you forgetting Richardson's Pam...Um, aren't you forgetting Richardson's Pamela? THE epistolary novel?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11524775933663430072013-03-31T19:23:29.874+01:002013-03-31T19:23:29.874+01:00This is a very belated comment, but:
HarlequiNQB s...This is a very belated comment, but:<br />HarlequiNQB said...<br />"[Good Omens]... Terry Pratchett, is notable for *not having his texts tampered with when they cross the pond - with the former exception of course." <br />Actually, Pratchett has to fight the editors all the time. Compare the UK and US editions of "The Truth" sometime. There are dozens of small and not so small changes.<br />=Tamarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-18508707171360350812012-11-02T15:37:11.023+00:002012-11-02T15:37:11.023+00:00I find it interesting that Jeanne though Clair Ran...I find it interesting that Jeanne though Clair Randell Fraser in Diana Gaboldon's Outlander sounded american, because in her later books where Claire's daughter Brianna (raised in Boston) sounds very British to me. But I just write it off to here being raised by British parents. Now the Lady who reads the books on Audio, I think does a wonderful job for all of the accents except for the American accents. It mostly sounds like she doesn't even try, except for a few words which makes me think she is trying but just can not do it. Brianna therefore not only does not sound American, she does not sound Bostonian, but completely British.Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-86349706234588312942012-07-02T02:21:45.463+01:002012-07-02T02:21:45.463+01:00The lumber magnate character's name is Sol Hir...The lumber magnate character's name is Sol Hirzhorn.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11709098180879994173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-6221871038466250502012-06-27T04:19:49.643+01:002012-06-27T04:19:49.643+01:00The wealthy American lumberman in Nevil Shute'...The wealthy American lumberman in Nevil Shute's Trustee From the Toolroom.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11709098180879994173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-46234543015811800232011-07-27T19:11:19.200+01:002011-07-27T19:11:19.200+01:00It's been a very long time since I read John B...It's been a very long time since I read John Brunner's <i>Stand on Zanzibar</i>, but at age 20 or so I was frequently annoyed by his American characters saying "I'll wager" and the like. As I recall, the only halfway convincing American character in the book was a stage Irishman.<br /><br />Rodger CunninghamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90801724741923062532011-07-23T21:40:05.879+01:002011-07-23T21:40:05.879+01:00@jb: you seem to have put this on the wrong post--...@jb: you seem to have put this on the wrong post--but you're right, and I'll make the change in the Anti-Americanismism post. Thanks!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-68386588575476492132011-07-22T18:44:54.427+01:002011-07-22T18:44:54.427+01:00Getting away from the list of 50 for a moment, may...Getting away from the list of 50 for a moment, maybe it's just me or my part of the country (NE US), but I've never heard nor used "vox pops". Should this be "mostly BrE" or something? I looked it up, and it's what I would call a "man on the street interview".jbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-76419545149294822312011-07-05T18:26:23.700+01:002011-07-05T18:26:23.700+01:00Thanks for getting back - said boyfriend is also (...Thanks for getting back - said boyfriend is also (West) Sussex-bred, but I will ask which he is more likely to use.Julia Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10156525079210984324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-81479019026371135892011-07-05T18:23:26.732+01:002011-07-05T18:23:26.732+01:00In my experience (and I'm Sussex-bred), one do...In my experience (and I'm Sussex-bred), one doesn't specify West or East Sussex - I would say "My parents live in Sussex"; "East" or "West" is only for envelopes (and not even that, nowadays). <br /><br />And I might say something like, "Oh, they don't live very near Lynneguist, as they are in West Sussex and she's in East Sussex", but by and large I'd just say "Sussex".Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-81039272981872003232011-07-05T17:09:52.732+01:002011-07-05T17:09:52.732+01:00I'm surprised by 'going to West Sussex'...I'm surprised by 'going to West Sussex' being a problem, unless Elizabeth George is writing in a particular period. For example, my boyfriend is going there this weekend. Have I missed something?Julia Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10156525079210984324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62820748147518440542011-06-27T06:05:30.117+01:002011-06-27T06:05:30.117+01:00I see that your talk has passed, but this is a gre...I see that your talk has passed, but this is a great thread that could be useful for many in the future, and I've got two good ones to contribute:<br /><br />First, a novel I recently read called Room, by an Irish-Canadian named Emma Donoghue. The narrator is meant to be an American woman (for some reason), yet the dialogue between her and her son is riddled with Britishisms, the most common of which is the use of "bits" where an American would say something like "a little," "parts," or "little pieces." <br /><br />Another one that drove me crazy is a recent movie called The Oxford Murders, in which Elijah Wood plays an American studying at Oxford. He uses the phrases "get on well," "bloody hell," "rucksack," and a few others.<br /><br />One last thing: while I've got my pedantic streak all revved up, biochemist seems to be saying that the best known epistolary novel is "Daddy Long Legs."<br />I'd actually never heard of this novel before, and while it's hard to gauge exactly how well-known a particular piece of work is, I'm fairly confident that Goethe's "Thew Sorrows of Young Werther," Laclos' "Dangerous Liasons," and above all, Bram Stoker's "Dracula," all classics, are far more famous novels in this style.Robnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-56313257846470236032011-06-11T04:58:43.776+01:002011-06-11T04:58:43.776+01:00Oh what a terrific topic for a talk! It’s one I’d ...Oh what a terrific topic for a talk! It’s one I’d dearly love to attend.<br />British EFL (English as a foreign language) textbooks sometimes contain American characters whose dialogue follows British speech patterns. I know this because as a British EFL author, I have been guilty of it writing some of the dialogues myself. American actors would often point it out in the studio when we came to make audio recordings, but I fear a lot more slipped through. I have to agree with an earlier commenter that we really need readers to catch stuff like this.<br />When I had the chance to work in the US for 6 months, I leapt at it, thinking it would help me write American dialogue. Six months became 12 years and I’m still here. I’m better at spotting it, but I’d still only rate myself as intermediate. In case it's of interest. here are some notes about translating one of my ‘British’ books into ‘American’ a while back: http://www.vickihollett.com/?p=128Vicki Holletthttp://www.vickihollett.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-18144697940166014772011-06-10T21:12:42.617+01:002011-06-10T21:12:42.617+01:00I read Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt novel a fe...I read Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt novel a few years ago, and was jarred by not only the rather modern tone of much of the dialogue, but its Americanness. Cornwell has obviously been in the US for a long time!<br /><br />Interestingly, although I found that Claire Randall Fraser in Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series also sounded like a modern American instead of a period Englishwoman, I managed to ignore this pretty easily -- I suppose because Claire's specific origins were not crucial to the main part of the story.Jeannehttp://mathomhouse.typepad.com/bluestocking/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-51044487864523604342011-06-09T09:31:46.677+01:002011-06-09T09:31:46.677+01:00This might seem unfair, but, in Enid Blyton's ...This might seem unfair, but, in Enid Blyton's <i>Five Have Plenty of Fun</i>, published 1955, she has a young American girl saying "I came by motor-boat, and the sea was so bumpy that I was frightfully sick." In the next paragraph: "He fusses around me like a hen, dear old Pops. I shall hate being away from him." On the next page, "Oh, how lovely the sea looks this morning. And what's that little island out there? What a lovely place it looks....It's really wunnerful."<br />Enough said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-87638171380622066582011-06-05T06:19:30.702+01:002011-06-05T06:19:30.702+01:00I like your blog and just thought I'd add Nigh...I like your blog and just thought I'd add Night Train by Martin Amis. It's his attempt at a short American detective story and it's hilariously bad. The female protagonist Mike swings between sounding like a trucker and a matronly southern woman. It's most definitely not set in the South. The city is deliberately left unnamed but it has a Pacific Northwest feel.<br /><br />Informing someone of his daughter's death:<br />"...But it seems your baby girl took her own life, Sir. Yes she did. Yes she did."<br /><br />When she asks her partner what information he's found he tells her no luck with the line, "Nothing but Schmaltz."<br /><br />Mike calls a metal chair "honky" and refers to Italians as "beaners." She also "hangs with [her] bunkies in the fourty-four" and asks her partner "when was the last time [he] took one for the state."<br /><br />And everyone swears like crazy no matter the situation or company and uses the word "ain't".<br /><br />Another is the book Abattoir Jack by Christopher Neilan. Set in Arizona and California, most of the dialogue is swear words and stereotypes. Lots of references to chili, tequila, cowboys, and "Gee-tars."<br />While this book is just silly, you can tell Amis is a good writer when he isn't pretending to be something he's not.Kalicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03626035683563476579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-57401030565854264232011-06-01T11:32:58.176+01:002011-06-01T11:32:58.176+01:00Is it too late to add the old joke about a Texan w...Is it too late to add the old joke about a Texan who returned to his ancestral village and made a generous donation to the fund for urgent repairs to the church roof? He was mortified to hear the vicar (Rev. A.J. Bloggs on first meeting) raise up prayers of 'thanks for this succour from abroad'....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-39066723909556510732011-06-01T02:56:09.898+01:002011-06-01T02:56:09.898+01:00Robin McKinley's Pegasus (Side note: don't...Robin McKinley's <i>Pegasus</i> (Side note: don't read it. It basically ends in the middle of a scene and the sequel isn't out until next year.) is a fantasy novel that doesn't take place in the US or the UK. The author is American but has been living in the UK for twenty years. The book has a random smattering of Britishisms that aren't cultural at all, just vocabulary, which really makes them stand out. The most difficult for me to parse was "round corners of rock," which I only figured out meant "around corners of rock" from the parallelism with the rest of the sentence: "Everywhere they went there were more groups of pegasi, who came as if from nowhere to see them - they always appeared from round corners of rock, or up steep paths or through trees, never flying overhead."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19042521097514459042011-06-01T01:11:05.049+01:002011-06-01T01:11:05.049+01:00I have mercifully forgotten both author and title,...I have mercifully forgotten both author and title, but it was surely an American who believed that a <i>marquess</i> was the wife of a <i>marquis</i>.<br /><br />A general note: I don't think you should expect the <i>narrator</i> of a story written by an American and set in the U.K. to use BrE, or vice versa. Some of the comments here seem to suggest that as a problem.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-44002989740408146692011-05-31T22:33:59.253+01:002011-05-31T22:33:59.253+01:00Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn. It's se...Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn. It's set in nineteenth century Yorkshire. The author must have come across references to people in Yorkshire saying 'tha' and uses it frequently. Unfortunately she does not realise it means 'you' and frequently has the locals using it as a contraction of 'that'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42802389224338085122011-05-31T18:24:43.739+01:002011-05-31T18:24:43.739+01:00And when will we have the comparisons that include...And when will we have the comparisons that include Canadian English? It is quite diverse even within the country itself.Mikehttp://www.onlinespanishlive.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-39982825518244834542011-05-30T17:51:31.883+01:002011-05-30T17:51:31.883+01:00'Reckon' was one of the first things I blo...'Reckon' was one of the first things I blogged: http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/06/reckon-and-figure.htmllynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-77187574034608066892011-05-30T17:45:35.093+01:002011-05-30T17:45:35.093+01:00Catanea - I agree that 'reckon' is BrE rat...Catanea - I agree that 'reckon' is BrE rather than AmE - I have heard it many times in the UK in contexts such as 'we reckon we know what we're doing'; 'he reckons he is the greatest thing since sliced bread'; 'he reckons to be the local expert' - the US equivalent is surely 'I guess', which actually conveys far more certainty than a Brit would with the same words; 'I guess I know where I'm going' and so on. But perhaps the 'guess' usage is too difficult for UK readers to understand, and so is translated to 'reckon'?biochemistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-73334161336579659392011-05-30T03:16:29.037+01:002011-05-30T03:16:29.037+01:00I'm an avid reader of a couple of English musi...I'm an avid reader of a couple of English music magazines (Uncut and Mojo), and it always strikes me as bizarre when they interview American musicians and change their Americanisms to Britishisms in direct quotes (Mum for Mom, "was sat" for "was sitting," etc. ... Likewise, I remember reading an article in a British newspaper a few years ago in which they'd interviewed some folks in a heavily Latino part of Los Angeles about the arrival of a Fresh & Easy store (American version of Tesco's) and one of the people quoted referred to the "car park" across the street. I seriously doubt it! <br /><br />Why change Americanisms to Britishisms in direct quotes? It's not like English readers would be flummoxed over the words "Mom" or "parking lot"!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com