American seeking to write woman from Yorkshire better

[EmilyMiller]

I expect this has been discussed here many times, but a quick search of this forum didn't find any.

As an American trying to write erotic fiction (porn) involving a woman from Yorkshire -- FF scenarios -- my audience is primarily straight men (it’s Lit,?right). Yet I don't want to piss off any women from Yorkshire who are reading. I know that it is common for Americans to write women from Yorkshire poorly, and I am no exception. So I want to improve how I write women from Yorkshire.

Any help appreciated, though I’m obviously not asking for help.

—

True story I have a supporting FC from Sheffield in my current work in progress. It’s a Haunting of Bly Manor kinda thing.

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

I will say that it's probably one of the weirdest regional accents in the UK after Daaaaaaarset and Suffirk, innit, bwuv.

 

[StillStunned]

Watch The Full Monty. Read the poetry of Tony Harrison, particularly his early works like v. and The School of Eloquence. (OK, he's from Leeds, but still Yorkshire.) Watch Last (and First) of the Summer Wine.

This is all good advice even if you're not trying to write someone from Yorkshire.

 

[onehitwanda]

Wait.

@EmilyMiller

Any help appreciated, though I’m obviously not asking for help.

Are you... trolling us?

 

[HordHolm]

She drinks tea, right? Drinks tea and works at t'mill? If she works at t'mill she'd better be West Yorkshire - otherwise we'll know... especially if there's trouble there.

 

[onehitwanda]

She drinks tea, right? Drinks tea and works at t'mill? If she works at t'mill she'd better be West Yorkshire - otherwise we'll know... especially if there's trouble there.

Better be fuckin' Yorkshire tea she's mashin' or Nev'll send some lads down to blag wi t' hen. Ayup, pet?

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

Thing is, it is a big area (for the UK anyway) so there are many accents/dialects within the county. Sheffield and Leeds are completely different animals despite being relatively close to each other.

Probably best to just concentrate on the broader aspects than getting into the minutiae as that is when inconsistencies are more likely to happen.

I am pretty confident in writing most Brit accents for men and women, but when I do US, I tend to just go generic - usually Deep South as it is the accent I can most readily recognise from the others.

 

[HordHolm]

I expect this has been discussed here many times, but a quick search of this forum didn't find any.

As an American trying to write erotic fiction (porn) involving a woman from Yorkshire -- FF scenarios -- my audience is primarily straight men (it’s Lit,?right). Yet I don't want to piss off any women from Yorkshire who are reading. I know that it is common for Americans to write women from Yorkshire poorly, and I am no exception. So I want to improve how I write women from Yorkshire.

Any help appreciated, though I’m obviously not asking for help.

—

True story I have a supporting FC from Sheffield in my current work in progress. It’s a Haunting of Bly Manor kinda thing.

Em

Any road up, lass, as long as tha remembers that where there's muck, there's brass.

 

[SimonDoom]

Assuming the request is serious--something one can never assume with absolute confidence in this forum (no offense, Emily)--if I were trying to write a woman character, or male character for that matter from Yorkshire, I'd skip trying to present the accent altogether, but perhaps do some research and introduce turns of phrase, dialect, slang, etc. that was distinctive of that region. I think in 90% of cases it's counterproductive to try to capture accents in writing by spelling things strangely and using apostrophes all over the place.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Isn't Yorkshire a breed of pigs? Asking for a friend.

 

[AchtungNight]

Yeah, I generally mention a character’s origin a few times and then drop it. It’s too hard for me to get the slang and the various vowel combinations correct without making the character overly stereotypical. Doesn’t help that some of my characters are exaggerating affected accents to cover speech impediments or traveling overseas a lot and worried about blending in.

 

[HordHolm]

Isn't Yorkshire a breed of pigs? Asking for a friend.

It's pudding.

 

[Bazzle]

Get yourself watching Heartbeat!

Immerse yourself in Yorkshire

 

[Altissimus]

Women from Yorkshire, eh? I think if I responded seriously to this thread, I'd probably get in trouble.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Ey up, lass. Less is more with accents. If she mentions goin' t'shop and doesn't say owt too American, you'll be reet.

My character Laura is originally from Yorkshire but doesn't have much of the accent:
"What's 'real'?" I asked, tiredly. "'Ah mean, like 'eck as like, tha' knows? See all, hear all, say nowt, an' if tha' ever does owt fo' nowt, do it for thissen...' Nah, I never spoke much like that." I dropped the Yorkshire stereotype and went back to my standard English words, but the cadence remained Northern, Yorkshire, and would for a while, until re-influenced by the others. Or until I consciously applied a different accent:

"I didn't go to the local school after I was seven, and then secondary school was down south, boarding, so no, I don't sound Yorkshire any more. Not enough for anyone in the Dales, any road...

 

[StillStunned]

Yorkshire Airlines, ey up and away!

 

[EmilyMiller]

Wait.

@EmilyMiller

Are you... trolling us?

Moi? Mais absolument, non!

Emileé

 

[onehitwanda]

Moi? Mais absolument, non!

Emileé

J'adore quand tu parles français.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Assuming the request is serious--something one can never assume with absolute confidence in this forum (no offense, Emily)

I’m shocked and offended https://forum.literotica.com/threads/men-seeking-to-write-women-better.1596889/

--if I were trying to write a woman character, or male character for that matter from Yorkshire, I'd skip trying to present the accent altogether, but perhaps do some research and introduce turns of phrase, dialect, slang, etc. that was distinctive of that region. I think in 90% of cases it's counterproductive to try to capture accents in writing by spelling things strangely and using apostrophes all over the place.

Im managing, I’m basically channeling a [male] friend from Sheffield who I met on my course in London. We went climbing in the Peak together.

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

J'adore quand tu parles français.

Viens voir mes estampes japonaises?

Had to be said

Em

 

[stickygirl]

Yeah... I thought we'd get some quaint Yorksheer bollocks speak. tbh most younger generation folk don't have such strong accents and the accent is simply based around vowel sound rather than t'mill shite. If it was based around 1980 then I guess the dialect would be stronger, but these days we've got leccy and telly and some folk even have an indoor lav if they's posh like.

 

[onehitwanda]

Viens voir mes estampes japonaises?

Had to be said

Em

J'arrive tout de suite avec un panier de choses amusantes

 

[EmilyMiller]

J'arrive tout de suite avec un panier de choses amusantes

Merveilleuse!

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

Yeah... I thought we'd get some quaint Yorksheer bollocks speak. tbh most younger generation folk don't have such strong accents and the accent is simply based around vowel sound rather than t'mill shite. If it was based around 1980 then I guess the dialect would be stronger, but these days we've got leccy and telly and some folk even have an indoor lav if they's posh like.

So Happy Valley lies?

I’m crushed.

Em

 

[HordHolm]

but these days we've got leccy and telly and some folk even have an indoor lav if they's posh like.

Young people today? Don't know they're born....