Nice bit o' research there, Brian. What I need is parody, or 'street' late 20c, 21st century US speech, a big block of text that I can take to bed, rub on my chest - not Mark Twain or Brer Rabbit. Oh, also DH Lawrence, Nottinghamshire - is another point for me v the Star Trek crew/authors x ... intressin'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_dialect
All pretty good, except I think they'd say "a fair distance" instead of "a fair way." It's a fair distance to Skye from here.
I totally get what you're sayin. The hole notion of Vicks Vapo-Rub lotion for all the verbal commotion isn't for the writer of magic potion, yet, let's not introduce a motion for all emotion lest we lose our following of devotion.
I still laugh myself stupid over this video. I don't know if everybody can get it, but this more or less says it all....
I don't think you get a 'like' for that, @Brian. I can't just give likes for anything amusing, or words just said. It needs to go an extra chortle, you know what I am saying, creative, an artistic slant...like Janet's video for example, perhaps a half-rhyme might push my bean?
I think word choice, expressions, etc. work better for real life accents than trying to phonetically spell it out. A little spelling out can work, but too much and it pulls people out of the story as they try to puzzle out what is being said.
Push your bean? Why, I oughta give you a tongue lashing, smart aleck. That is, if I had the talent to do so... I'm going to go practice on my pillow, but only afterwards; before then I'll cry a bit about your cyberbullying, also with the pillow.
@Brian, don't do that, you're my only friend - Janet sometimes, and also, well I cant think of anybody at the moment, it's a dry patch for me, always.
I don't know if I'd play the racist card (although I won't stop anyone else from doing so) but it's tiring to read.
My main concern is being understood, embarrassment be damned. I had several arguments discussions with one of my beta readers about word choices in Aliens Don't Bend at the Knees (in which everyone but the narrator speaks a 1965 Nova Scotia dialect) and I lost most of them because above all, the reader—here and now—must know what the characters are talking about. And of the two types of aliens, one was distinguished by using only 100% proper English with no contractions while the others, minions all, used broken English and bad grammar one might expect from someone who is learning as they go.
Thing is - there is a prevalent, modern perspective on this theme, so if we all agree, on-line, it might become a little dull. But we do have an opportunity to think about the subject - and 'worrying' about writing like shit, well I've done 'the writing lifestyle' [gown, pipe] for a couple of years now, and proper writers understand about the process, with chaise longue and servant, so it is not a worry. The main problem is people not reading my stuff at all, even to say it's shit. I mean I am the kiss of death, not you. I get myself into a magazine, the magazine goes bust, that's the way it goes generally, really.
[QUOTEI had several arguments discussions with one of my beta readers about word choices in Aliens Don't Bend at the Knees (in which everyone but the narrator speaks a 1965 Nova Scotia dialect) and I lost most of them because above all, the reader—here and now—must know what the characters are talking about.[/QUOTE] Show us a chunk, plse?
It looks racist because it looks like a parody even when it's an accurate representation of the phonetics.
Show us a chunk, plse?[/QUOTE] But... I've changed them all. And it would mean digging through several daily drafts to find them... since they're all changed and I don't remember exactly when I changed them. Sorry.
The example they use is 'Gone With the Wind' where the white characters talk like this, and all the black characters sed dis and dat.
@Sack-a-Doo! It doesn't necessarily mean your story is duff. Always trying to find ways to talk on the page - be it 'I'm talking to you, directly, mister,' or 'we talks funny round these parts.' Suppose that's the tightrope of sorts, but they get bored, they drift away, them readers. I love those compelling hooks - for example, write about a dog in distress, people stay with you for 2000 words with dogs, always chuck in a dog.
As hilarious as that sounds, it's kind of my point. It looks like you're mocking people for their "funny" accents.
Hi @Oscar, and yes, but at some point you draw a line in sand, or give your 'voice' a go in forums and such, then approach wider circles. Just writing in an inoffensive way is not interesting to me. Anyways - that was a cowardly post - I could blame everything, almost, on the 'translator programme,' see the link. For me - racism, prejudice, sexism, discrimination, all these things I don't address, I am not a political writer, I try and write for my laughs I hope to share, though sometimes surprise myself with a dose of sincerity, readers appreciate sincerity, but then equally all these guys writing about their parents' deaths gets irritating, over and over, eventually you see why it is irritating. As for those, those political writers: feminists, socialists, tories, republicans, democrat observers are much braver than me, talking politics at the coal face, I don't like it, it's boring, I don't have the spreadsheets. I'll do the kitchen stories, beat the heavyweights via back entrance, no euphemism intended.
No, because it was your choice to attempt to produce it phonetically, knowing that it often sounds racists, and it was with ability to know the translator's effects that you used, and you then published it here knowing what you had. I see plenty of responsibility there. I'm not saying you have to be a political writer, but what you are talking about is unnecessary, difficult to read, and sounds like mockery. Generally, that kind of humour is better to reserve for self-deprecation because you can get away with that more. And what are you talking about when you mention writing about your parent's deaths? Who is doing that repetitively?
Again you sound like you mocking me. Can you just talk directly and seriously? It's kind of confusing. And I meant that if it's not a euphemism, that last bit sounds like your saying you're going to rape them. Which is very squick.
