Spelling and the use of language in ficdom

[layne67]

America vs England - a poll.

I'm neither American nor British, so it doesn't really bother me if say, Orli or Sean Bean are "Americanized" or the Winchesters speak the Queen's English. Maybe because I don't really get which is which, except for the spellings - the colors and the favorites and the humours and the whatnots.

What about you? Does it bother you? And if you're an American writing about British characters, or vice versa, do you use the "proper" spelling for your fics?

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter to me at all. I think that hobbits should speak more British-like, but you know? It really doesn't bother me that much if they don't to me. :-)

[unhobbityhobbit.livejournal.com]

I don't care about spellings. It's when hobbits start talking about trash and Dean starts exclaiming "Bloody hell!" that I start to get bugged.

[honeyandvinegar.livejournal.com]

Good questions. I write mostly C/Z, but if I write F/S, I stick with Americanized spellings. So I don't have Frodo say, "Oh Sam, that massage oil has such a lovely flavour (:D!)", but "flavor". Of course, when it's a Brit friend that's writing a C/Z, there's no big deal with them writing it in their own vernacular... duh, lol. Though some people see an American doing the Brit spellings as pretentious. I can see why, but it doesn't bother me at all, so yea. :)

[shirebound]

I can only talk about fictional person stuff, since I haven't written many real person stories. I don't feel a need to change to British spelling for LOTR fictional person stories (for the most part), because the hobbits, etc. aren't British; they're hobbits of the Shire. But for names (such as Gandalf the Grey, etc.) I use whatever the Professor used.

I've been called on the carpet a few times for not using British spelling for LOTR fics, but I'm just here to have fun and not stress out over things like that. Cookies, biscuits... as long as hobbits are happy, I'm happy. What DOES bother me is modern slang, or cursing, or other things that pull me out of Middle-earth and into the present.

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

If it's really off, like having an American use a British word that is so obscure here you don't even know what it *is*, it can throw me out of a story. The spelling difference- humor, humour, etc.- doesn't really bother me. I do try to use the appropriate words and spelling in my own fics if I can. It would seem wrong, for example, to use 'fall' instead of 'autumn' in a hobbit fic.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

WHAAAT? You wouldn't want a fic in which Frodo says, "Hey man, Aragorn dude, what the ____ is that?" And Aragorn answers, "Shut up, Fro -- chill out! Yer always sweatin' the small stuff." :D

[shirebound]

Now like that's one totally far-out Middle-earth, dude!

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

SOme day there will be an AU in which Frodo and the fellowship are surfer dudes... Wait. It might already be on fan fic.net :D

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I think the fics that have the hobbits speaking overt American are mostly crack fics?

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Trash is American then? I got a bit confused sometimes, between the boot and the bonnet, autumn and fall etc. Someone should start an American/British dictionary. Or maybe there's one already.

*googles*

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I was taught British English when I was in school so my spelling follows the British one. But we mostly have American shows on TV so the way we talk is mostly influenced by the Americans, with a mix of British speak. When we're not talking Manglish that is.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Cookies are American? I've always thought they are two different things, that cookies are softer and "crumblier" while biscuits are the "hard", crunchier ones.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Unless it's a time-travel or teleporting type of crack fic!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I think wynterhawk wrote an AU where the Fellowship meet each other in this other universe, and if I not mistaken they're all Americans!

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

oh I remember there was an Orlijah that she wrote like that -- it was awesome!

ANd I just loved the one she wrote about Frodo and Aragorn going for a hike in the Smoky Mountains! :-)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I'm in the rather strange place where my spelling is British ( we were taught British English at school ) but the way I speak is more American than British!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking, maybe you could write a fic where Aragorn receives an emissary from T&T. It'd be interesting to see Aragorn and his consort ( Frodo of course ) trying to decipher the Trinidad & Tobago lingo!

[serai1.livejournal.com]

As far as spelling goes, I would only use British spelling if I was writing something that was supposedly written by a Brit. But if it's just me as the narrator, then no. Also not with dialog - nobody speak a spelling, they just say the word.

Grammar and such are a different thing, natch.

[goodbyetoyou.livejournal.com]

Well I'm American but my brain has this translator that can translate "Queen's English" rather well (It's what oftens makes me have that weird English accent from time to time that one of my best friends likes to poke and laugh at me for) without really making me go "HUH?!" so I don't really care either way. But in fics when Sam or Dean say "bloody hell" or "bloody" Whatever and they're not talking about having just decapitating a vampire I tilt my head and go WTF lol. Other than those times I'm all, whatever, lol.

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

I don't use British spellings, but yes, American slang in LOTR stories bugs me. Many writers of Aragorn fic have him saying, "yeah," and "okay," and I've even seen "gonna" once or twice---and we know the men of LOTR spoke even more formally than hobbits.

Profanity drives me crazy, too. I can take "damn," but the f-word in Middle-earth just doesn't fly with me.

[siubhlach.livejournal.com]

In the UK they are. At least round where I am. Although the definition doesn't seem to be quite that clear cut (we've been trying to work out the definitive criteria for what makes a cookie and what makes a biscuit for years :D)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

*grins*

And now you''re making my mouth water thinking of Pepperidge Farm cookies :)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I guess it would help if your beta is someone from across the ocean.

And I think writers who are not well-versed with either have it the hardest. I mean, most of the time when I wrote ( what little of it ) I'd just do it on a best guess basis and then leave it to my betas to do the corrections.

*looks at them apologetically*

[layne67.livejournal.com]

But in fics when Sam or Dean say "bloody hell" or "bloody" Whatever and they're not talking about having just decapitating a vampire

Okay, that took a couple of minutes for me to compute LOLOL.

But what about singing? Can you tell whether a person is singing in British English or in American English from a song?

Do you watch American Idol? Simon commented something about one of the contestants singing like a British and all this while, I didn't think George Michael did it any differently than say, Justin Timberlake.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

How did the people of ME swear then? And I'm presuming that the elves didn't do any cursing at all :DD