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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 6:09:50 GMT -5
I'm still not sure which one it is!
A lot of American English makes me cringe... Too many Z's. Realise looks right to me and because I haven't gotten around to adding the British dictionary, my browser tells me the word is spelled wrong.
But British English seems to have a lot of superfluous U's. Granted, they are fun to use but it raises eyebrows and irritates a lot of the people I know when I start using them.
When it comes to serious writing do you stick to one or the other or is it considered acceptable to mix-and-match for your own comfort?
Sorry if this seems like an obvious question - it's just not something I've seen answered by anyone who knows what they are talking about. (I'm not counting high school teachers who insist American English is the way to go. They'll be the first to be forced in to accepting text talk as real words)
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Post by Suzy on May 6, 2014 6:25:38 GMT -5
I use British English because that's the way I was taught. And my stories are set in Europe. I think it's best to stick to one or the other and not mix them up.
I get complaints in some of my reviews from American readers about 'a lot of spelling errors', which is of course due to the British spelling. I do put a note in the descriptions of my books saying 'British spelling, grammar and punctuation'.
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Post by Suzy on May 6, 2014 6:53:58 GMT -5
I love this video. Explains a lot.
and American English:
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Post by Daniel on May 6, 2014 8:17:54 GMT -5
I stick with American English because that's what I was taught. Most of my books have sold in the US, although lately, my UK sales have actually been higher. I wouldn't change anything though, because I believe British readers are more forgiving of American spelling than vice-versa.
As a reader, I have no problem with British spelling and punctuation. My editor's eye notices it, but I think it's cool when a book set in the UK has British spelling and idioms. Those aspects are part of an authentic reading experience, IMO.
If a UK author is setting books in the US and targeting a US audience, it would make sense to use American English. As with everything, consider your audience.
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Post by Victoria on May 6, 2014 8:23:47 GMT -5
I stick with American English because that's what I was taught. Most of my books have sold in the US, although lately, my UK sales have actually been higher. I wouldn't change anything though, because I believe British readers are more forgiving of American spelling than vice-versa. As a reader, I have no problem with British spelling and punctuation. My editor's eye notices it, but I think it's cool when a book set in the UK has British spelling and idioms. Those aspects are part of an authentic reading experience, IMO. If a UK author is setting books in the US and targeting a US audience, it would make sense to use American English. As with everything, consider your audience. What about a UK author setting books in the US aiming at a UK audience? Or a US author setting them in Britain aiming at a US audience? (Not an interrogation, genuinely curious about your views!) It's interesting that you think UK readers are happier with US spelling than vice versa. You could be right. We consume a lot of US culture in the mainstream along with our own, whereas - while I know the US has plenty of Doctor Who and British comedy/drama fans - I gather that's a bit of a niche interest and you have to go to the trouble of getting BBC America or whatever. But I would be genuinely surprised to come across a US reader who found British spelling irritating rather than a passing curiosity. |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 8:26:49 GMT -5
I'm an American. I write using American English, and I don't care if British English is considered "better."
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Post by vrabinec on May 6, 2014 8:34:15 GMT -5
If you have a British character and an American character, I wonder if anyone's tried using the appropriate one for each character.
Evelyn turned on her heel. "Bubba, I wonder if you would do me a favour."
Bubba scratched his nuts. "Duh, favor?"
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 8:43:56 GMT -5
It's always seemed odd to me when Americans can't deal with the British spellings, but that's because I cut my teeth on stuff like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.
Of course, the larger question is why anyone would give a teething infant a book to chew and slobber on, but anyway.
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Post by Suzy on May 6, 2014 10:51:16 GMT -5
I'm an American. I write using American English, and I don't care if British English is considered "better." I don't think it, is Jolie. They're just different. And if you live in America, of course you should use American spelling |
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Post by Becca Mills on May 6, 2014 11:12:12 GMT -5
I'm an American. I write using American English, and I don't care if British English is considered "better." Why would anyone consider one better than the other? You seem to be seeing antagonism in this thread that doesn't actually exist. Aimless, I don't think you can mix and match without running afoul of most readers. British and American English are dialects unto themselves. If you mix them according to individual preference, you'll end up writing in a form of English no one actually uses. But it is too bad. I'm rather fond of "aluminium."  |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 11:14:24 GMT -5
I'm an American. I write using American English, and I don't care if British English is considered "better." I don't think it, is Jolie. They're just different. And if you live in America, of course you should use American spelling Of course "real" English isn't "better." Yet, English is the language spoken by English people in England. The rest are derivative forms of English. Canadian English, Australian English, American English, New Zealand English, Cameroon English, and so on. I live in Belgium, and when I still bought printed books I could regularly find the same book in a UK and a US edition. Same book, different cover, different publisher, different spelling conventions. The American version, though coming from farther away, was usually cheaper. English is ever evolving, and with the growth of the Internet it has long since become a pidgin language for the Western part of the world. A Finnish writer may write in English for a Philippine reader. I doubt either of them care which of the many variants of English, the original included, is the "better" one. It's just a theory, but I suppose there is a new variant of English emerging: Internet English, which is probably for 85% based on American English. I (try to) write American English because it seems my main market is there. |
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Post by Becca Mills on May 6, 2014 11:30:31 GMT -5
I don't think it, is Jolie. They're just different. And if you live in America, of course you should use American spelling Of course "real" English isn't "better." Yet, English is the language spoken by English people in England. The rest are derivative forms of English. Canadian English, Australian English, American English, New Zealand English, Cameroon English, and so on. I live in Belgium, and when I still bought printed books I could regularly find the same book in a UK and a US edition. Same book, different cover, different publisher, different spelling conventions. The American version, though coming from farther away, was usually cheaper. English is ever evolving, and with the growth of the Internet it has long since become a pidgin language for the Western part of the world. A Finnish writer may write in English for a Philippine reader. I doubt either of them care which of the many variants of English, the original included, is the "better" one. It's just a theory, but I suppose there is a new variant of English emerging: Internet English, which is probably for 85% based on American English. I (try to) write American English because it seems my main market is there. Yeah, I've heard some people who study this sort of thing refer to "global Englishes," meaning the language has fractured into a family of dozens of dialects. Pretty cool stuff. It's worth pointing out that dialect difference just within the UK is stunning. There is no one English English from which Englishes around the globe derived. Boy, the word English starts sounding weird if you say it a whole bunch of times in a row. |
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Post by Suzy on May 6, 2014 11:30:45 GMT -5
In my new writing project- very hush-hush as we're just throwing ideas around, we might mix the spelling as some of the characters are non-American. I think that would work, actually. Especially in dialogue.
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Post by Becca Mills on May 6, 2014 11:41:25 GMT -5
In my new writing project- very hush-hush as we're just throwing ideas around, we might mix the spelling as some of the characters are non-American. I think that would work, actually. Especially in dialogue. So when one person says color and the other person says colour, that's supposed to represent different accents? Wouldn't be quicker to just mention the characters' nationality or accent? It seems to me that mixing spellings would be a distracting way to get the "Bob has a British accent" info across. And as you've discovered through some bone-headed reviews, many American readers are provincial enough not to recognize that colour isn't just a plain old mistake, so the message about Bob's accent would be lost on them. |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 11:43:34 GMT -5
In my new writing project- very hush-hush as we're just throwing ideas around, we might mix the spelling as some of the characters are non-American. I think that would work, actually. Especially in dialogue. So when one person says color and the other person says colour, that's supposed to represent different accents? Wouldn't be quicker to just mention the characters' nationality or accent? It seems to me that mixing spellings would be a distracting way to get the "Bob has a British accent" info across. And as you've discovered through some bone-headed reviews, many American readers are provincial enough not to recognize that colour isn't just a plain old mistake, so the message about Bob's accent would be lost on them. I agree, I don't think mixing the spellings is a good idea and is probably going to stimulate critical ratings and reviews that you wouldn't have gotten if you'd chosen one dialect and stuck with it. I'd assess where your target market is and spell accordingly. |
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Post by Suzy on May 6, 2014 11:44:25 GMT -5
In my new writing project- very hush-hush as we're just throwing ideas around, we might mix the spelling as some of the characters are non-American. I think that would work, actually. Especially in dialogue. So when one person says color and the other person says colour, that's supposed to represent different accents? Wouldn't be quicker to just mention the characters' nationality or accent? It seems to me that mixing spellings would be a distracting way to get the "Bob has a British accent" info across. And as you've discovered through some bone-headed reviews, many American readers are provincial enough not to recognize that colour isn't just a plain old mistake, so the message about Bob's accent would be lost on them. No, I mean that some of the story might be set over here. And that those scenes would be in British English. Just an experiment. |
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Post by Suzy on May 6, 2014 11:46:29 GMT -5
Anyway, it's just an idea. I'm sure my editor wouldn't like it.
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Post by Becca Mills on May 6, 2014 11:53:27 GMT -5
Anyway, it's just an idea. I'm sure my editor wouldn't like it. Heh, that's true about the editor. A trad pub editor would iron the manuscript into a single dialect in two shakes of a lamb's tail. |
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Post by Suzy on May 6, 2014 11:55:40 GMT -5
Anyway, it's just an idea. I'm sure my editor wouldn't like it. Heh, that's true about the editor. A trad pub editor would iron the manuscript into a single dialect in two shakes of a lamb's tail. well, she's freelance but she's very strict. I should be doing edits right now and not fool around here. Don't tell her...  |
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Post by Daniel on May 6, 2014 12:03:31 GMT -5
What about a UK author setting books in the US aiming at a UK audience? Or a US author setting them in Britain aiming at a US audience? (Not an interrogation, genuinely curious about your views!) My goal would be to make the language appropriate for the audience, regardless of setting. If I'm targeting a US audience, I would use American spelling. If I'm targeting a UK audience, I would use British spelling. I personally have no plans to target a UK audience because I don't think I could do a credible job with British English. I sincerely appreciate the fact that some Brits like my stuff in spite of the American spelling.  It's interesting that you think UK authors are happier with US spelling than vice versa. You could be right. We consume a lot of US culture in the mainstream along with our own, whereas - while I know the US has plenty of Doctor Who and British comedy/drama fans - I gather that's a bit of a niche interest and you have to go to the trouble of getting BBC America or whatever. But I would be genuinely surprised to come across a US reader who found British spelling irritating rather than a passing curiosity. My opinion is based on anecdotal evidence, so I could be wrong. I've seen many UK authors mention that they get spelling complaints for their British English, but I've never heard of an American author getting dinged for American spelling by a British reader. From what I've observed, Americans are not as cosmopolitan as Europeans. Only here do you get an idiot attacking a pair of Hasidic Jews because they were speaking "Spanish" instead of English. |
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