Local accent

[Tristan]

Hey, I've just started writing a story and am worried about people understanding Australian English. For example in my first chapter I used the words lollies (sweets/candy) jumper (sweater) gaol (jail) as well as using the letter u (which seems to scare Americans )

 

I was wondering if anyone had any advice about whether I should try to make my story more 'internationally understandable' or should I risk it and just hope that some aspects don't just go over other people head?

[Trebs]

Write naturally - seeing colour and gaol are good for us... sets the mood, tone and gives it a bit of flavour.

 

Plus - it's hard if you haven't lived anywhere else to avoid terms that you may not be aware of defining your locale, but others might notice and then they'll get a bit of dissociation when they hit the term (for instance, one short story seemed to be in the US until I saw "layby" and realized it was in England. Not sure if the author was trying to make it a generic story or not - and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story, but it did leap out at me.

[Boy In Doubt]

I think you should write in the style you're used to. If that means spelling certain words with the letter 'u' then it's no problem at all. I personally don't spell words like "color" with the letter 'u' but if you do, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Especially if you specify that the story is set in Australia (or the UK).

 

I must admit, though, that it had taken a while for me to figure out how to read "gaol" out loud. My bad...lol. But other than that I think you're good. I guess typing "jail" and mentioning that the character speaks in a distinct Australian accent would suffice.

 

And things just sound so much better when spoken with an Australian accent.

[MikeL]

I agree with the others...write in the way that is natural for you. Most readers will understand with no problem. I promise that, if there is something I do not understand, I will not hesitate to ask.

 

Look forward to reading your work.

[Tristan]

Thanks for the advice guys have just finished two chapters but will wait until I have a bit more done before I start posting.

[Trebs]

When you get closer - use the resources of the board too... Ask if anyone would be an editor or beta reader - we have a lot of talent here to help!

[Graeme]

Thanks for the advice guys have just finished two chapters but will wait until I have a bit more done before I start posting.

Sounds good!

 

Don't be afraid to write what seems natural to you. However, be aware that some phrases that we Australian's take for granted are very foreign to some people who live overseas. I have the advantage of having an American editor, so a lot of these phrases get picked up at that point. Often, the American version also works in Australia, because have a strong media influence from both the USA and Britain, so I often let my editor change to the American version. But not always -- some Americanism are just not natural to Australian.

 

Even so, I've had a few slip through. With one of my novels, I had several people ask me what a ute was, and some also mentioned that they'd never seen the term garbo before, but worked it from the context. Most of the time, people will work it out from how you use the word or phrase, so don't worry about it And quite a few readers have said thanks for helping them learn new things, so just write the way you feel is natural, and the readers will work it out

[Clovis]

Yes, i agreee with the others - write in Australian idiom. I've just had an email from a reader in Seattle who loves reading local dialects, he reckons it makes it much more interesting and he learns things, and I agree. I just learned the expression 'my bad' from 'Boy in doubt' in a post above. sounds really funny, but I like it. Like Graeme,i find ute always confuses people, they think it is some sort of indigenous race.

[colinian]

Yes, i agreee with the others - write in Australian idiom. I've just had an email from a reader in Seattle who loves reading local dialects, he reckons it makes it much more interesting and he learns things, and I agree. I just learned the expression 'my bad' from 'Boy in doubt' in a post above. sounds really funny, but I like it. Like Graeme,i find ute always confuses people, they think it is some sort of indigenous race.

OMG, please, please, please don't pick up the awful expression "my bad" -- it was so overused here in my part of the USA (San Francisco Bay Area) that it's not being used anymore.

 

Colin

[Tipdin]

Most authors have an intended target audience. Writing in a way that makes sense to them, well..., makes sense.

 

I must confess, as a Midwesterner in Minnesota, I often run into words I have never heard. (Pretty dictionary-strict group, most of us!) Most of the time though, I can figure out what is meant and then get back into the rhythm of the story. Even if I can decipher the gist of what's being written, I often wonder how the new word is pronounced.

 

A couple of times I had to call my New Zealand cousin to ask about a pronunciation, but meaning will usually shine through.

 

'Mybad' was done to death. My ears bleed every time I hear it.

[JamesSavik]

Think of local dialect and accents as an exotic spice; a little bit goes a long way.

[Hylas]

Hurr. I actually have the opposite problem. I am not from Australia but my newest story is set in Western Australia. I did a whole load of research just to get to know the difference between American and Australian English as well as asked some of my aussie friends. Besides that, I have to learn about the flora, fauna, climate, difference in educational systems, attitudes toward social issues, etc. It's a bit of a nightmare but fun.

 

For example I made the mistake of using miles instead of kilometers early on (even though we too use kilometers, I was used to the US system when writing in english). LAWL. Even more confusing in the fact that feet and inches still are used for height despite metrication.

 

Compounding that is another problem: We too have our own different English 'regionalisms'. English, though not really used as much on its own in everday speech, is one of country's official languages. And it is often used in patois/pidgin form and almost always used exclusively in official documents, speeches, and in formal settings. Even then there is a marked difference in some local usage of terms. An example: we say CR (Comfort Room) instead of Toilet or Restroom. We use 'Sleeveless' to describe all kinds of tanktops. And back to the mile/kilometer problem - Americans use miles, we use kilometers, but we spell it with the e before r unlike Australians who spell it as kilometres. So I'm actually trying to distinguish between three separate English forms. :wacko:

 

At this point I'm not so much worried about putting in too many regionalisms as I am about sounding too Americanized. I figure I'll just add in as much 'mate' as I could in the dialogue and hope for the best.

[Tristan]

At this point I'm not so much worried about putting in too many regionalisms as I am about sounding too Americanized. I figure I'll just add in as much 'mate' as I could in the dialogue and hope for the best.

 

One hint - Australians avoid the letter Z where possible - in most cases we replace it with the letter S. So its not Americanized is Americanised. I think this is because of the different ways we pronounce the letter (Here it is Zed not Zee).

 

 

Also Australian Spelling and Grammar tend to follow the rules of UK English rather then American English, and our slang is also similar.

 

Spelling and Grammar are complicated but the readers on here will normally be forgiving, just be glad you don't have to try and explain it to a bunch of bored six year olds like I do

Edited June 24, 2010 by Tristian

[Hylas]

One hint - Australians avoid the letter Z where possible - in most cases we replace it with the letter S. So its not Americanized is Americanised. I think this is because of the different ways we pronounce the letter (Here it is Zed not Zee).

 

 

Also Australian Spelling and Grammar tend to follow the rules of UK English rather then American English, and our slang is also similar.

 

Spelling and Grammar are complicated but the readers on here will normally be forgiving, just be glad you don't have to try and explain it to a bunch of bored six year olds like I do

 

 

Thanks And yeah already knew about that, including the UK English preference for -our instead of -or. I'm not sure I want to go that far though. It still feels viscerally wrong for me when I write 'favour' or 'realise', haha. It's not me, as the narrator, who wants to sound Australian, rather it's my characters. But yeah, as long as I try to follow the british way of speaking rather than american, I should be fine.

 

BTW, as for your original post, I don't mind at all. Though I sometimes have problems with authors who insist on really really obscure slang/dialects for entire dialogues (e.g. Huckleberry Finn or The Prince and the Pauper). As other people said, it's like spice. It adds flavor to a story. And being in a country where English is a secondary language, it means most works in English that I read are foreign to me anyway. Common English terms/things that are unfamiliar to me or don't exist/are rare in our culture (Lorry, Parka, Tram, Doorknocker, Muffler, etc.) or more exotic untranslatable words (Mahout, Tabi, Jackaroo, Assegai, etc.) actually help me learn more about the culture. Their meanings usually become clear through context, if not, wiki-ing them is just as enjoyable. Heh

[phana14]

I am quite impressed with all of the comments posted and I agree with all of you. While reading the many stories that I have read both here and *outside*, my best 'friends' have been my dictionaries. Even though they haven't held ALL of the searched-for words, they have proven invaluable in aiding me.

Just now, for instance, I found 'gaol', and it isn't hard to get 'lollies' out of 'lolipops'.

As Graeme said, "Most of the time, people will work it out....".

Tristian, do go with what you feel best doing. We WILL get it. And if you haven't read "Death Is Not An Option" by Nephylim, at least check it out. She was criticized for the accents she used. Well, 'To each his own!" I say, because to ME the story was much more enjoyable with the particular character that she endowed with her version of Scottish jargon.

In other words, if you follow the advice of the above authors, your readers WILL 'get it'!

And good luck!

[MikeL]

While reading the many stories that I have read both here and *outside*, my best 'friends' have been my dictionaries. Even though they haven't held ALL of the searched-for words, they have proven invaluable in aiding me.

Just now, for instance, I found 'gaol', and it isn't hard to get 'lollies' out of 'lolipops'.

 

On of the best dictionaries around is http://www.wiktionary.org/. I frequently keep a browser tab open there while reading. I can't recall a single time when it has failed to provide a definition of any word whether of British, American, or other usage. Go ahead; look up gaol or lollies.

 

One of my favorites is the word tump. It has two totally different meanings (even different parts of speech) in British and American usage. Check it out at http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tump.

[Hylas]

AUS English and US English have a lot of potentially embarrassing differences in word usage. Some I've encountered in my research - Fanny (US - the rear end, Aus - vagina), Skivvies/Skivvy (US, plural form - underwear, AUS, singular form - turtleneck sweater), Thongs (US - underwear, AUS - flipflops). Pants in the US most commonly refers to leg clothing worn outside, while in the UK and AUS it was more often used for underpants, while trousers (UK) and dacks (AUS) are used for the outside wear. Though of course with the widening influence of US English and the breaking down of distance barriers with instant communication, their meanings are beginning to merge.

[Forty-Two]

If you get a beta reader and s/he is from outside Australia that may help with the odd word this is really foreign and you can think about using a different phrasing or making it obvious from context. But in general, if the reader doesn't know the word, they can look it up. It's their own fault if they can't be bothered to expand their vocabulary or knowledge of other cultures. It would feel a little weird if your Australian character in Australia narrates/talks like an American.

[Greedya]

My issue is quite different. I don't really have a 'first language'. My English is influenced by people in places I've lived, and I've lived in several countries. When I speak, people are amused by my accent. When I write, I usually go for the extreme route - creating unusual characters that have their own dialects (like poetic characters or smartarse genius characters).

[Dark]

My issue is quite different. I don't really have a 'first language'. My English is influenced by people in places I've lived, and I've lived in several countries. When I speak, people are amused by my accent. When I write, I usually go for the extreme route - creating unusual characters that have their own dialects (like poetic characters or smartarse genius characters).

 

I was in this boat for a long time. I apparently still have my British accent when I sing, which is rare enough I have ceased to worry about it. My English teachers were always yelling at me to either spell it the British way OR the American way and to stop switching randomly through a piece. LOL.

 

I guess it just takes time. Every now and again, even now, I still spell things in the British way. Now, Australia, I would love to go there!

 

I think for accents, you should write in your voice, and when it comes to dialogue, have the characters speak in theirs. I have a horrid time writing accents in general, so I just don't anymore, but if you can, do it! I love to read something with the flavour of another country. There's several authors on here from Europe and the puzzle, when you find something you're not familiar with, just adds to the fun! You really get transported to that place, which is what a good author wants to do, right?

[DragonFire]

This is a tough one, Brits & Aussies pretty much understand each other aside from the odd bit of slang here and there & I think our cousins over the pond get the general drift.

 

Personally I tend to use a more universal approach, I use for example cell phone instead of mobile, it doesn’t detract from the story, but everyone knows exactly what it is. I always put ‘u’ in words, the Americans after all are the ones who can’t spell.

Pants is an awkward one, especially as they mean totally different items of clothing from one side of the Atlantic to the other. But I think we’re all intelligent enough to realise someone is not going to go to dinner in their underwear!

 

Now, if you’re talking local dialects & slang then that’s something else altogether. Whilst this would be ok in small doses, if you use too much then you risk alienating your universal readers who would have no clue what’s being said. A prime example of this is a story I found on Nifty some months ago. Based in New York it was littered with so much of it I didn’t bother to go beyond chapter 1, because frankly the flow was constantly interrupted by terms I needed subtitles to understand.

 

I think most of all; you have to go with what you’re most comfortable with. I’ve got used to my bilingual approach, but even I slip up sometimes... as my editor points out quite frequently. Lol