1. Metus

    Metus New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    Messages:
    136
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    Omega 4 Relay

    How do I write trilled letters?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Metus, Dec 21, 2011.

    I have a character which rolls/trills some letters. How would I write that?
     
  2. Kallithrix

    Kallithrix Banned

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2011
    Messages:
    390
    Likes Received:
    15
    Location:
    UK
    The first couple of times you can just hit the key a few extra times to show they're doing it, but after a while if they do it all the time this would become tedious to read. Therefore you can just establish it to begin with, then after that make a few references to the fact that they're still doing it, but not actually show it.

    That's how I'd do it anyway.
     
  3. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2010
    Messages:
    13,984
    Likes Received:
    8,566
    Location:
    California, US
    I'd just say that the character is trilling or rolling the letters, instead of trying to show it through some kind of strange syntax.
     
  4. joanna

    joanna Active Member

    Joined:
    May 25, 2010
    Messages:
    425
    Likes Received:
    12
    Location:
    Boston
    This.

    There are authors who have rendered accents etc in the dialogue, and there are even some successful authors who have done it. But just telling us the character speaks in a certain way (and then maybe mentioning their funny pronunciation of a certain word later on if it's relevant) is oh so much easier for us to read.
     
  5. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2006
    Messages:
    19,150
    Likes Received:
    1,034
    Location:
    Coquille, Oregon
    writing dialog phonetically is almost always a mistake... in this case, simply note that the character "spoke with a heavy Scots burr"... or "he rolled his 'r's to a ridiculous degree" or something similar...

    in other words, describe how the character speaks, as advised above, rather than showing it and annoying the reader with stuff like, "Rrrriicht ye arrre, Rrrrobert, m'lad!"...
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice