How to Write British Speaking Characters

Discussion in 'Character Development' started by pensmightierthanthesword, Feb 4, 2017.

  1. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    This is true , but Walford E20 is about as far from reality as you can get
     
  2. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    For me the two worst are Mockney , where rich home counties twassocks (Jamie Oliver springs to mind) try to make out they are east end wide boys , and the related 'Yardney/Trustfarian' where rich white kids try to make out that they are from JaMakeA , Mon
     
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  3. Pinkymcfiddle

    Pinkymcfiddle Banned

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    Odd- I always knew that as Ja-fake-an.
     
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  4. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    "Us" Scots? I'll say you destroy the English language. It's "we" Scots. And actually, I enjoy Scottish accents.
     
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  5. Alphonse Capone

    Alphonse Capone Active Member

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    It's ashame you are not as smart as you think you are and couldn't see the obvious intention with my word choice.
     
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  6. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    You didn't realize I was playing along with the joke.
     
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  7. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    Also its a bad rep , not wrap ;)
     
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  8. Alphonse Capone

    Alphonse Capone Active Member

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    :supergrin: aye fair enough.
     
  9. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    I've only ever heard/seen one example of this. It was in the show Misfits. The guy whose "power" was that he saw life as though he were playing a rather violent video game, he had the Ja-fake-an accent of which you speak. Important to note, it's next to impossible to get unfiltered UK programming over here, so I'm sure there are other examples.

    This guy...
    [​IMG]
     
  10. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    'Jaffaican' phenomenon is a decade old now - Ali G, Tim Westwood, but London boys do talk a version of it. There's some blending here - through confusion - between 'mockney,' 25 years ago, in initial appearance, during the Blair era, AND with Jaffaican.

    My own bug is the oleaginous faux posh of our Speaker Bercow, of Michael Howard, of Keith Vaz, the most greazy [repetition] blend of insincerity.
     
  11. MarcT

    MarcT Active Member

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    In Ocean's Eleven there's a black gentleman who uses Cockney rhyming slang and yes, it sounds way off.
    Talking of how the way we speak in Britain has changed, has anyone noticed the upward inflexion people use when making a statement? As if said pronouncement is is in fact a question?
    I'm pretty sure this was imported from the smash hit Australian TV series Neighbours and it unfortunately caught on up north.
    Or it could even have been an American import, who knows?
    Either way, it's bloody irritating?
     
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  12. handsinthegarden

    handsinthegarden Member

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    *squints at from over in Canada*
     
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  13. handsinthegarden

    handsinthegarden Member

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    As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann takes place in the 1600's I believe, in England. It's definitely a very different vocabulary being used, but not at all hard to really grasp. I'd say give it a looksie!
     
  14. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    I think you mean look-see; not something that reminds me of a whoopsie!
     
  15. handsinthegarden

    handsinthegarden Member

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    I'm Canadian. We make up words and spelling. ;)
     
  16. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    In America, this plague (we called it Up-Talking) was in the early 90's. It lasted for all of 10 minutes. I'm going to guess that if you're experiencing a more current outbreak, then the source is Oceania where this particular speech mannerism is more ingrained.
     
  17. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    My Scottish husband goes mental when people speak like this. It doesn't irritate me quite as much as it does him, but I think if I heard it a lot, it might.

    Oddly enough, instead of telegraphing a question, this method of inflection usually assumes agreement, doesn't it? As if the speaker is saying something that's unquestionably true.
     
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  18. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    It's mostly Australian, and just the way it is...

    The policeman was announcing the discovery of a body [on TV]:

    The body discovered in the dirt? At this point we have no witnesses as such? I call for witnesses to step forward? and present themselves?

    I don't think it's every Australian, maybe it's just their 'mockney' or civic speech, although they speak the same on 'Australian Masterchef' when they do the egg & chip - cookoff on finals week.
     
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  19. Oscar Leigh

    Oscar Leigh Contributor Contributor

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    Oh I'm relevant!
    I don't know about anything with us but I think a slightly questioing tone on statements is a pretty teen age girl thing from where I've heard it. So youth culture.
     
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  20. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    I think it's more a teenage girl uncertainty thing; you make a statement, and then turn it into a question because you're not actually sure if you're right, and you're seeking approval.
     
  21. Pinkymcfiddle

    Pinkymcfiddle Banned

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    When I was in Sydney I got reprimanded by a copper for jay-walking. Being British my immediate reaction was confusion followed by indignation "how dare you f*cking tell me where I can walk!" Of course I didn't say this. But with the upward inflection, the officer's statement of "get out of the road(?)" really warranted a cheery "no thanks" while I skipped happily to the far side.
     
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  22. Bill Chester

    Bill Chester Active Member

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    Many people who use that rising inflection do expect you to agree with them and are confused if you don't respond somehow.

    My niece won a hockey scholarship to an expensive New England college and came back speaking with a strange accent. Any idea what that is called?
     
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  23. terobi

    terobi Senior Member

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    Would that be the bizarre mid-atlantic "Locust Valley Lockjaw"?
     
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  24. Jack Dearnley

    Jack Dearnley New Member

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    Not sure if it's been mentioned or not as this thread has become far too long to read all the way through, but if a British person has been sat down for a noticeable period of time and then decides to do something, they will stand up, clap their hands together once and say "Right!" or "Right then!" before continuing with what they were going to do
     
  25. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    I've NEVER experienced that behaviour!
     

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