Non American English

[driphoney]

Yeah, I used to think that was a tampon...

As others have said, Stephena, ignore 'Anon' - unless of course he/she says something nice and then just bask in the praise.

In my experience, there are actually very few readers here at Lit who get their knickers in a twist about British spelling and expressions, though I suspect there are those who make a point of writing such comments in the hope of getting a rise out of you.

It's all part of the fun of submitting your writing here. Enjoy!

The word 'jumper' always throws me for a second.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper_(dress)

We all sure love to talk about this topic, don't we?

 

[oggbashan]

The word 'jumper' always throws me for a second.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper_(dress)

We all sure love to talk about this topic, don't we?

A British male could wear a (British) Jumper.

He could wear an apron as part of work attire e.g. carpenter's or butcher's apron, but he would not wear a pinafore although they can look remarkably similar.

Og

 

[Dixiedevil67]

I think you should write in the style that best represents the time period and/or region. Even in the U.S., everyday vocabulary or slang in one part of the country will not translate in another. Something someone says in New York may be hard to understand by someone in Atlanta. East Coast speaks differently from the West Coast.

I recently re-read the novel “True Grit.” The original novel presents a wonderful representation of late 19th century dialect in the old west. A novel set in New York City during the Roaring Twenties would be written completely differently with a whole other style and vernacular.

I personally enjoy stories that depict another culture or way of life. I understand that people speak and act differently in other regions of the world. A German forum, discussing one of my stories, recently fascinated me. They were discussing varying taboos in different parts of the world. My story was about an exhibitionist in the U.S. But, what may seem daring in America, may be no big deal in Europe.

My advice is, while always listen to constructive criticism, write for yourself. Someone once said, “Write what you know,” and I think this is wonderful advice. Write in the style you are comfortable with, and about things you know. Do not try to appease one critic or another, you will never please everyone.

 

[CharleyH]

I get the impression that as an English author I suffer from British English and get marked down by American readers as a result. Recent feedback by Anon in USA even suggested English wasn't my first language! Has anyone else fallen foul of this linguistic 'barrier'?

More countries in this world speak and spell British, which, as a Canadian, is proper. The unfortunate thing is that most people buying porn are American, therefore all porn should be spelled in American so that the dumbasses can read it and buy more of it.

 

[sr71plt]

all period description and dialogue needs to be a compromise--especially with period setting and ethnic characters. Try recording a real conversation and transcribing it. You'll see that it's incomprehensible in that form and has to be adjusted to readability.

Readibility is, I think, paramount. You need the flavor of period setting (and no anachronisms) and you can have dialect in dialogue. But you need to maintain connection with the reader where they are comfortable with the read and don't have to run off to consult a dictionary or do an Internet search very often. You can certainly have a British character refer to his jumper in dialogue for the non-British readership, but then you need to slip in an explanation of what that is. No one said that writing for others to read was easy.

 

[driphoney]

A British male could wear a (British) Jumper.

He could wear an apron as part of work attire e.g. carpenter's or butcher's apron, but he would not wear a pinafore although they can look remarkably similar.

Og

To the average American who thinks about such things, a pinafore would be a type of jumper, a jumper jumper would look more like the Wiki and a pinafore would be a full, puckered affair that is usually worn by a little girl over a dress and not be the dress. But, never, ever would a jumper be a sweater. At least no where I've lived in the US.

 

[oggbashan]

To the average American who thinks about such things, a pinafore would be a type of jumper, a jumper jumper would look more like the Wiki and a pinafore would be a full, puckered affair that is usually worn by a little girl over a dress and not be the dress. But, never, ever would a jumper be a sweater. At least no where I've lived in the US.

Which is why I try to avoid words that cause confusion between British English and US English. I spell the British way, but if I can, I avoid words that have conflicting meanings. No one, in any of my stories, wears a jumper.

Og

Edited for PS. It is easier for us Brits. We experience US English frequently so tend to be aware of the different meanings. An American writing for a British audience might have more difficulty (unless they use a British editor).

 

[michchick98]

More countries in this world speak and spell British, which, as a Canadian, is proper. The unfortunate thing is that most people buying porn are American, therefore all porn should be spelled in American so that the dumbasses can read it and buy more of it.

Categorize much? I don't know if I should be insulted or not about you basically saying all Americans are dumbasses.

But since no other American posting to this thread seems to be insulted, neither am I. I just consider the source and move on.

 

[oggbashan]

It is my impression that most English taught outside English-speaking countries is US English, not British English.

However, there are regional differences in what is taught, and variants of English are taught that are neither US nor British.

However, I think that if a writer wishes to communicate to the widest possible audience, whether with erotica, fiction or non-fiction, the most accessible English is US English.

Then we could have a debate about what US English actually is.

Og

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

I can see right off that you really don't much care for Brits. Is that a fair assessment?

For Christs sake don't encourage the twit.