Living between two cultures speaking the same language but with many differences, I sometimes find myself confused when it comes to le mot juste. Now that I'm doing some final edits to The Hating Game, I often wonder if the word I'm using is indeed the right one. My main character is British, so I need to be ultra-careful that she speaks like a Brit -- a difficult task, even though I've been here for almost seven years.Back in the summer, I wrote an anonymous short story for a writing competition. With only 1400 words, I was sure there was nothing in it that would flag me up as North American. But oh, how wrong I was. The lovely judge, Katie Fforde, told me afterwards the word 'butt' gave me away. Sigh!
So this time, I'm determined my British character will be 100 per cent British! And when in doubt, I turn to Twitter. It's a great tool -- within seconds, people chime in with their opinions. I do my own research too, but it's a great way to verify what you've found.
For example: Butt is not used much in Britain, although among the younger set it's starting to be more common. Arse is the way to go!
Proms are quickly being adopted UK-wide.
Calling someone a 'chap' is posh. 'Bloke' is more colloquial and 'guy' is being used more and more among hip types.
Tree-swinging is called a 'zip-wire' or 'zip-lining'.
And there you have it! Thank God for Twitter or my MC might still be tree-swinging!
(We call it zip line here in Utah.) And then there's the issue of what about if you're writing a character who is British but has been to America? Then little words will creep in. Or an American/Canadian who has lived in London? All very interesting how language can reveal a character.
ReplyDeleteI was just going to say what Karen did about the zip line. Same in Texas. One of my friends lived in England for a couple of years. For her, everything is still 'lovely'.
ReplyDeleteZip-wire? Translation, please. I'm going with...bra?
ReplyDeleteKaren - I know! The language thing is doing my head in right now!
ReplyDeleteIn Canada I've heard it called zip-line too (I think!?!). In Australia it's flying fox!
Liz - Zip wire is when you rappel between trees holding onto a bar thingy...
There are major differences just between west coast and east coast Canada---I'm writing an east coast protag, but I have a bad feeling she sounds very west coast!
ReplyDeleteHey, I use 'guy'. I must be hip ;-)
ReplyDelete@ Liz ha ha bra would work too but might not be the safest apparatus.
ReplyDeleteTalli another thing you might want to watch out for is the fact that some of us TV kids speak a little American cos we watch a lot of american tv and listen to American songs.
PS its zip lining in Iowa too
It's amazing how just certain lingo can really define a book! It's lots of fun, though, seeing the different language intricacies, from one locale to the next.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how different words are used in the US between the different regions. Where I live, people don't say soda very much. They say Coke, Pepsi, Sprite or whatever for the type of soda they want. When I traveled through Wyoming, a cashier called my Coke a pop. And don't get me started on accents;)
ReplyDeleteGood point. I'm always agonising over my American slang creeping into the Britain based novel I'm writing. Thanks for the advice about twitter! Or does that just give me another excuse to faff about online instead of editing my manuscript? ;)
ReplyDeletehaha, I have this problem A LOT. You see, I'm Australian, who lives in Greece, and works with Brits, American's, Canadians, Irish, and Scottish. I've got a vast array of words stuck in my head, but for the life of me I wouldn't be able to tell where they belong!
ReplyDelete'Lad' is also very popular amongst teens and people in their twenties!
ReplyDeleteTwitter is incredibly awesome like that, isn't it?
Yeah, I've heard of zip-line, but not zip-wire. And actually I prefer arse to butt. Butt can be used in so many other ways; the butt of a rifle, be the butt end of a joke, getting butt by a ram-goat, cigarette butts...When you use arse everyone knows what you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteTree swinging?!?!?! Zip-wire? Eh???
ReplyDeleteMe not know what this means! LOL!!!
Butt (heheheh!) yay that Ms Fforde (what's with the two ff? Respect to Ms Fford!) commented on your story that in itself is a fab thing!! Yay!!
I saw that proms documentary on BBC3. In my day it was trying to get snogged in the one school disco allowed. Good ol days and all that! Take care
x
I have British characters in my books and I do two things to make sure the speak is correct:
ReplyDelete1) I have British editors that say, 'this doesn't sound right.'
2) I only watch British TV/Movies while writing my novels.
CD
Jessica, I don't know how you keep your head straight with all that!
ReplyDeleteClarissa, I have British editors too. But I'm just super paranoid!
Old Kitty - Kate Fforde is awesone. So nice and friendly! She said some good stuff about my writing that kept me going for days!
I tend to find that Brits who speak 'Amerislang' tend to do it very knowingly, rather than fluently like the Americans would do. They'll say it ironically, as if they know that they're appropriating another culture, also probably because having snitched the word from a TV show or film, they're not 100% certain what it really means.
ReplyDeleteIt's only when these differences are pointed out to me that they seem quite obvious (or that could simply be me being confused as usual).
ReplyDeleteAh, you've got to love/hate our word differences. But I agree, thank god for twitter. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL I'm so glad I live where I live and I'm only required to know one set of words! I commend you for the hard work you have to go through to make sure you're on point with your descriptions and words!
ReplyDeleteMy co-workers love to teach me slang here in Houston only so they can laugh at me and how funny I sound since they say I speak in a very proper tone.
PS - Here in Texas and in Iowa we called it zip lining... I've never heard of Tree swinging but I'm laughing at the thought! Australia it's flying fox?! How funny!!!
Speaking of Australians, Alexandra Adornetto was just in town for her book signing (HALO) and she said a young kid asked if Kangaroo's had been neutered but she couldn't answer because she had no idea what it meant!!!
Language is so fun!!
Twitter is a very resourceful tool. It's amazing the things you can ask and be flooded with answers.
ReplyDeleteHmm, well, to me, zipwire is called "Something I would only do if held at gunpoint."
ReplyDeleteI think language creeps and changes, especially as we all get more global. Brits who watch a lot of US TV will probably find more Americanisms creeping in. I know I do.
Quite often it's not words so much as sentence structure. I had my editor tell me an American man would never say, "Put your make up on." I wondered if she meant he'd never talk about make up, but all she meant was I should correct it to "Put on your make up Phew!
I am constantly confused -- I'm an American married to a Scot. We've lived in Canada, America, Scotland, and England in the past ten years. We moved back to Texas two years ago, but I still write fiction for a British magazine. I have no idea whether I'm coming or going these days. Even my Word program seems to jump randomly between my US and UK dictionary. Thank goodness I have a good editor who keeps my writing clear!
ReplyDeleteI am throughly confused now, but with me I fear it is an age issue leaving me not understanding some of this post!
ReplyDeleteLindyLou, don't worry! I'm confused too!
ReplyDeleteJen - wow! I didn't know Aussies don't use 'neutered'. I wonder if they use it here? I've never had an opportunity to test that out!
ReplyDeleteTwitter - it's an amazing thing. :) I could never do that, though, I'm sure I'd make every cultural language mistake possible. But that's just me. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have these same issue in the U.S. Words don't always mean the same thing from place to place.
ReplyDeleteBut we all know what Butt mean, even if we live on a Butte...
Haha, yes, it can be difficult to distinguish what words belong to which culture. remeber, Talli; Bum, not butt!
ReplyDeleteIn NZ we are even more confused. lol!
ReplyDeleteWe use butt for your bum, though some cruder people would use arse. Fanny is a big no-no it doesn't mean bum here but rather a ladies *thingy*. :D
We have flying foxes like the Aussies.
Guys is the word to use for our menfolk.
Being BRITISH I am pleased the main character is British.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Yvonne.
I think I've learned most of my "Brit-speak" from crime novels! Oh, and Hugh Grant movies. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I have to ask - which side of the Atlantic is more likely to refer to it as an 'ass?'
ReplyDeleteAll these little details make the difference
ReplyDeleteIt's no longer a bum? What about tush?
ReplyDeletegood idea about twitter. Great post today.
ReplyDeleteThey actually still use BLOKE? :)
ReplyDeleteLove your post title. I was already laughing.
ReplyDeleteI know a few British people, but they all live here now, so I'm sure they speak a mixture of American and British English.
How often does zip wire come up? I don't even know what it's called in American English!
I guess there's no 'eh' at the end of your dialogue sentences either, eh, Canadian M? I wish I had time to Twitter. Maybe soon!
ReplyDeleteO, I don't believe I would attempt such a thing - bravo to you, better writer than I.
ReplyDeleteKeeping something 100% British (or American, sometimes) is so difficult, especially with the spread of culture through networks and the Internet. But it's so easy to search up info, too. (yay for twitter!)
ReplyDeleteLol zipwire ...i like that one, i love tweeter too Talli x :)
ReplyDeleteIt kind of reminds me of that three finger scene in Inglorious Bastards. I don't want to say more unless you haven't seen it.
ReplyDeleteAh language is funny. And so true, there's so many different names for the same thing.
ReplyDeleteIn NZ flying fox is the tree thingie thing. Tho I do like the bra idea.
And neutered Kangaroo - I want to know why a kid wanted to know that?
Being a Kiwi living in London, post Japan and Sydney and working with a ton of Americans - my language is quite colourful and not I've no idea which place to call home, right now its London.
Good luck with the final edits!! Sounds awesome. ;D
I'm always thinking the other way as a lot of my writing is for the American market. So I'm thinking cell instead of mobile, for example.
ReplyDeleteMy children started saying 'butt' when we moved to Bangkok... The spoken English here is more American than UK. I kind of struggled with it as to me it sounded ruder than arse which is what I'd say but I've got used to it of course. As the US vocab has drifted into my brain I've started to worry that it will creep into my writing too.
ReplyDeleteYeah... the differences are BIG, aren't they!? I have been advocating against Pants for years, only to learn that my Brit friends might easily have thought I was suggesting they go commando, rather than naked. Luckily Naked means naked in both places...
ReplyDeleteOn a related note--there is regional dialect even just within the US that I am currently struggling with. I will owe a lot to a southern friend for keeping my Cozy from sounding like a bunch of Yanks living in Roanoke...
A zip-wire is a metal wire with a pulley attached to you hold onto and, well, zip down, yes? Is that called Tree-swinging in Canada? Never heard "zip-lining" over here in the UK, I must admit.
ReplyDeleteI do like your posts about language Talli. There is much amusement to be had in the different forms of English. Let's not even mention fanny!
This reminds me of Oprah's J.K. Rowling interview when Rowling was talking about her second book tour and the "queues" going all the way down three blocks. Oprah had to chime in, "We call those lines" just in case some Americans didn't know what Rowling meant. And let's face it, some probably didn't! She also made the distinction between "tap" and "faucet." I love how we speak the same language, yet we kind of don't, LOL!
ReplyDeleteLove your posts. Actually 'chap' is quite old fashioned!
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the differences between chap & bloke.
ReplyDeleteAnd I had no idea about the zip words!
hee hee great post (found you over at Kath's Wales Blog Party btw). it also depends where your character is based. you say British but as someone who speaks pure Wenglish (http://talktidy.com/) I'm forever having to explain colloquialisms to non-Welsh friends. Similarly people from Newcastle might as well be speaking another language to Londoners. Good luck with getting the voice right but I'm sure you'll nail it!
ReplyDelete