A British Character?

Discussion in 'Character Development' started by CheddarCheese, Feb 5, 2012.

  1. RyanBushell

    RyanBushell New Member

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    This is a good idea, write her dialogue in UK English and say where she comes from and the reader will probably fill in the gaps. Good luck.
     
  2. Gallowglass

    Gallowglass Contributor Contributor

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    Around Gravesend, in Kent, about twenty miles from London.

    And I'm not trying to be snobbish, I happen to be from a 'pretentious middle-class county myself.' It's just the best way to compact what those areas are like into a sentence.
     
  3. CheddarCheese

    CheddarCheese New Member

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    Hm. That's a little east of London, right?

    Well, like I said, nothing is quite set in stone. Out of curiosity, what kinds of accent/slang are most prominent in your area?
     
  4. Gallowglass

    Gallowglass Contributor Contributor

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    Yep, just along the Thames.

    Mostly Estuary English. Then further out that's pretty clear, well-spoken plain old English (but without many guttural sounds or rolled Rs like you'd find further north, or in Scotland). They're usually in the suburbs or rural towns. Then you have the incredibly well-spoken people who hang on every word like a fine wine, in large detached houses (usually farms with stables) along country lanes.
     
  5. CheddarCheese

    CheddarCheese New Member

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    Estuary English. There's another one I didn't know about. I'll look that up now.

    Do you know if there is anything else in your dialect that is distinctly different from North American English? Other than accent, I mean.

    Thanks.
     
  6. Alex W

    Alex W New Member

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    If I were you i'd use these forums and post any/all words you can think of that you'd like clarification on. Perhaps PM people who've offered to help when you get stuck?

    I think you really need to find out exactly who your character is, which part of London she lives in, who she hangs around with, family situation etc. England isn't like America where things tend to be a bit more clear regarding social situation or language, the amount of different cultures situation in one area and the huge amount of slang in different spots means for anyone not used to it, you could get a bit lost in sayings/phrases.

    Focus in on the character, watch alot of English tv, listen to the accents and terms used. Simon Pegg is the closest you'll get to our accents around where I live I think, though it's a mixed bag, as in most places.
     
  7. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

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    Thank you. Last time I made this point, I got an onslaught of abuse from a bunch of Americans who didn't seem to understand how an American accent isn't the same thing as a "British accent", which doesn't exist.


    My only advice, as an English girl, is to watch some good British movies. Try stuff like Sexy Beast, which features some typical down-to-earth Essex/London accents. The rest of the advice you've received is pretty sound; it's all about the research. Just don't do the annoying thing a lot of authors do, which is to turn us into clichés. Charlaine Harris wrote an english vampire called Charles Twining and I cringed every time I read the name. She might aswell have called him Henry Crumpetbutter.
     
  8. Alex W

    Alex W New Member

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    Watch any American tv show and the odds are that the 'British' character has a very 'upper-class' accent, very pronounced. It's no wonder they expect us to all sound the same :p
     
  9. CheddarCheese

    CheddarCheese New Member

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    Sounds like a good idea. I just shuffled through a bunch of books which I think used English characters or were written by English authors. I also tried searching through Youtube for relevant sources. I don't have a complete list yet, that might take a while, but there are a few words which English characters seem to use. Verification would be nice:

    How often is the phrase "bloody" or "bleeding" used (preferably in the general London area)? I've noticed this is probably the most used "English character alert!" there is.
    How often is the phrase "All right?" used? It seems to replace "What's up." but I'm not entirely sure.
    Is the word "daft" still used to mean "dumb" or "stupid"? The source that used this word took place during the First World War, so it's probably outdated.
    Is calling someone a "muppet" an English thing? I vaguely remember this term being used, but I don't remember if the character was English, Irish, or Scottish. If so, is it common? And what does it mean?

    I'll probably have more later. Sorry if some of these are cliche, or ridiculous. Personally I have no idea.
     
  10. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

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    "All right?" definitely replaces "What's up?", and "bleeding" is only used by the older generations of about 65+ nowdays. "Bloody" is used all the time by most people, but "For fuck's sake" is more commonly used if someone's really pissed off about something. "Bloody" is used quite tamely, and usually in a more light-hearted jokey way.

    "Daft", I think, is more popularly used up north rather than around London and Essex, unless someone's calling another person a daft sod, or a daft cow. "Daft" basically means "stupid". "Muppet" is most commonly used in the east London/Essex region between young-middle aged people, usually males. For example, "You took the wrong turning, you muppet!"

    I'm only speaking for England in the Essex/London region mostly, because that's where I'm from. People up north or in other countries, like Scotland etc, might use those words completely differently. Hope I helped.
     
  11. CheddarCheese

    CheddarCheese New Member

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    Thanks for the reply!

    So I assume "All right?" and "Bloody" would be in my character's general vocabulary, while the others not so much? If so, what would be the usual response to "All right?" (For example, the common response to "What's up?" is usually "Nothing much.")

    Does this imply that the phrases "daft sod/cow" are used commonly (and I'm assuming to call someone "stupid")?
     
  12. Alex W

    Alex W New Member

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    Bleeding - Rarely used, or atleast rarely used where i'm from in the East Midlands. I do hear it every so often, but not much. Bloody is used alot, by alot of people, though it's personal preference. Your character may like the word, may not. It's often just exchanged for the word 'fucking' when it's not really needed, though having said that. If your character is to be more 'rough'/foul mouthed, then don't use bloody and stick to general swearing.

    Common phrases for "What's up?" (that is used) are just "You alright mate?" and "What's going on?" Up further north there's "What do you know?" (Which means what have you been up to) and around here we tend to say "You alright chicken/duck?" (Just friendly terms in the same vein as 'mate', duck is used alot where i'm from). In London I would imagine it'd be "What's happening fam" or simply 'mate' instead. Again, depends on class/type of person.

    Yes, daft is, though it's more of a Northern word. It's a common word though, still used alot in my family atleast. Muppet is a Brtish thing as far as I know, though i'd guess it started in England more than anything. I've heard Scottish friends using it alot too though, so it's a general term over here i'm guessing. Someone in London would use that, certainly. Muppet basically means prat/fool/idiot though not in a nasty way. Just "Oh, you moron, you forgot the drinks". Not nasty, just meant for emphasis on their mistake/stupidity.

    No problems at all, must be very confusing if you've no idea of the word usage. Base your character on a class style that you'll understand better though, if you know that for definite than you can be more precise about the language she'll be using.
     
  13. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    We do and don't.

    We rarely use the word 'Daft'. Northern speech tends to be a little more direct, and some interpret this as more aggressive. Instead of 'Don't be daft' (while we will say this on rare occasions) it's far more common to just say 'Don't be stupid', or change the word stupid into something derogatory if you know someone will not take offense - words I will not write here. 'Muppet' however is never really used - at least as far north as I am. The only time I've ever heard in conversation it is when someone is parodying EastEnders.

    I do find the many great differences in word choices between North and South fascinating. Since I'm as northern as you can get.
     
  14. Alex W

    Alex W New Member

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    It's a sign of the cultural difference when i've personally heard daft a hell of alot, perhaps it's more midlands then? Always presumed it's more northern, hear it alot in Doncaster too. A Geordie friend of mine was fond of the word too, wouldn't let you pay for a drink and called you daft if you even attempted it!

    (Quality guy to go drinking with for that exact reason! :D We did buy our fair share of his and our drinks though, I should point out)
     
  15. CheddarCheese

    CheddarCheese New Member

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    Hm. Do people more commonly use "What's up" or "All right"?

    There's another one I completely forgot about. How often is the word "mate" used?

    Sorry for all the questions. :D
     
  16. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    Geordies are fond of the word, I have to admit. It largely depends on what part of the North you are referring to to be honest. From my experience: Mackems rarely use it. I think on the North West coast it's not widely used either, but I could be wrong. In my area of Northumberland it is again rarely used, but it is found used in coastal parts of Northumberland and widely used right on the Scottish boarder. But even then, it's not as widely used in Northumberland as it might appear from this post.
     
  17. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

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    A reply would be something like, "Yeah not too bad, you?". "Daft sod/daft cow" are probably used more commonly amongst middle-aged people, but they don't use it like a comma the way we use words like "bloody" sometimes. It's one of those phrases that depends on the character and the kind of attitude they have/era they grew up in. Older generations might use it more often, but up north I think younger people use the phrase a lot. At least, that's the impression I get. This is why you need to narrow down your regions, because language and its usage between differing age grips really does vary considerably.
     
  18. prettyprettyprettygood

    prettyprettyprettygood Active Member

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    I say and hear daft a lot, it probably just depends on the common words in your circle.

    The trouble with these words though, is that often you really need to hear how they're used in conversation to be able to use them properly, the correct slang words can still stand out as inauthentic if theyre peppered in the wrong places. That's why I think it would be good to watch/listen to Brits as much as possible, to really get a feel for the dialect you're aiming for.
     
  19. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    ^What part of the North East are you from?
     
  20. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

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    Yeah, I did say Muppet was a term used down my way instead of up north, because i've never heard it used. I've heard "daft" used quite a lot by people from Manchester, actually.
     
  21. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    I guess I'm only writing from the perspective of my own areas.
     
  22. CheddarCheese

    CheddarCheese New Member

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    Wow. I never would have guessed there was so much variation over there. I mean, in Canada, people from Toronto sound basically the same as people from Vancouver a good 3000 km away.

    A couple of more questions:

    How often is the word "mate" used? By males? By females? By age? Location?
    What in the world does "Blimey" mean? Is it even used?
     
  23. prettyprettyprettygood

    prettyprettyprettygood Active Member

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    Between Shields and Sunderland :) I work in Newcastle though, I haven't noticed whether I hear 'daft' more often there or at home but I will now!

    To be fair when I hear or use it, it's usually in terms of 'daft b****rd', so the directness is still there I suppose!
     
  24. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    'Mate' is used pretty much all over the country I think. Mostly by young males in my experience.
    'Blimey' I always hear it and used as in 'Cor, Blimey!' and it is an expression of surprise. In my area it's something that mostly older people say.


    Ha! I currently live not far from you then. I live in Sunderland now and go to the university there.
    I'm from, and speak mostly for central/north Northumberland, and originally from northern Scotland. So yeah. Different areas and all.
     
  25. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Consider the "Boston accent." There are distinctly different accents for Charlestown, South Boston ("Southie"), Somerville, Cambridge, and about a dozen others. All within about a thirty mile radius. There are distinctive bits of slang in those areas as well.

    I've never been to England, but from what I know, the variations are even greater in number and distictiveness within the same geographical area. And what I'veseen of british television seems to support that.
     

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