A hodge-podge of languages.

[allana]

While trying to find out if British English puts a full-stop after title abbreviations (Mr, Mrs, Ms and so on), I've discovered that I'm writing in an interesting hodge-podge of languages.

* I always spell-check for British English.
* Yet I always use American dialogue punctuation and follow their quotation mark rules.
* I merrily ignore all the disapproving looks over comma splices, as they're quite standard in British English.
* I also use a nice mixture of verb forms, depending on my mood.

Having realised that, it's tempered with the realisation that language is fluid. Flicking through a Jeffrey Deaver book which happens to be sitting beside me, I note that he uses single quote marks for dialogue (UK), yet punctuates them in the US style. Interesting.

If I do end up going for a proofreading course I shall have a lot of bad habits to break, I think!!

---

In other news--through the awesome power of Rockfic chat, I finished a WIP. It's been hanging around my hard-drive, making mournful faces at me for months. Since the beginning of May, in fact. Now, I have another nine WIPs which I'd quite like to get done, so I'll be dragging anyone I can lay my hands on into chat. Maybe we can recreate the magic!

Comments

[silicondreams.livejournal.com]

I do that too! But for me add also the weird phrasing that comes from sometimes translating from Italian into English (even if not directly, it's more of a "thinking Italian thoughts in English" thing, and YES, it's weird as it sounds)..but hey, I'm justified 'cause I write mostly foreigners and when I write Brits I have a Brit beta..:D

So when are we going to see it? I'll not hide that I've been waiting to see Be Careful posted for AGES...those old snippets were hysterical...:D

Same time and place tonight? I need to get some action between those 2000 words of dialogue...;)

[glam-ang.livejournal.com]

So when are we going to see it? I'll not hide that I've been waiting to see Be Careful posted for AGES...those old snippets were hysterical...:D

Sometime later on tonight? Andy's had a run through it and I'm waiting to see what Ev says, too as I'm not quite sold on the ending. But, am I ever?

BTW, I think we're going to the cinema, so I'm not sure what time I'll be in chat :(

[silicondreams.livejournal.com]

Ah well, I have no life, so I'll probably be there when you come back! To see what?

[glam-ang.livejournal.com]

"Unleashed" AKA "Danny The Dog", I think. Depends if it's still on. I have no idea what's on... just want to go to the cinema :)

[stonefinder.livejournal.com]

Wish I was there for chat. :-(

Forgive me, yesterday's post in my journal has put me into useless-facts, historian mode but did you know that English does not have a naturally occurring grammar system? Or spelling, for that matter. What we've got is imposed by Johnson et al in an attempt to "freeze" the language and keep it from mutating so far that people wouldn't be able to read Shakespeare. That was a major concern to 17th century English intellectuals and Johnson's Dictionary was, in part, created because of this. Before then, grammar didn't really exist and spelling was done phonetically. It sounds strange, but it's true. The strange grammar and archaic spelling we have basically resulted from the personal preferences of Johnson and his circle.

So it's Johnson's fault! ;-)

[bella-cheval.livejournal.com]

*sniff**

**sniff**

I can never get Chat to work on my home computer. I am sad.

And I'm like you, my writing style is all over the fucking place. I shudder to think of what a proofreader would do to it. I try to run all my stuff thru a grammar checker first, when I remember to do so.

Glad to hear you got your WIP done :)

[screwthedaisies.livejournal.com]

Maybe you're Canadian at heart. They always seem to be combining UK and US English.

[glam-ang.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I do occasionally tack "eh?" onto the end of a sentence....

[bella-cheval.livejournal.com]

Canadians fucking rock.

[evaine.livejournal.com]

Thank you Bella! *smoochies*

And *ahem* we do NOT use a combination of American and UK - we use CANADIAN!

*huge grin*

I AM CANADIAN!! (need a maple leaf smiley here)

Ang... the edit's coming! I promise! workin' on it now!!

[bella-cheval.livejournal.com]

Yes, I love me some Canadians :) Whoever says that Canadians have something wrong with them because they're non-nuclear, have only exported things like Rush, and that Canadians are a bunch of pussies needs to talk to me first.

I mean, would *you* fuck with an entire country with blades on their feet and sticks in their hands?

[silentinflames.livejournal.com]

I think I'm using AE mostly. But then I never really pay a lot of attention to whether I use AE or BE. I sure use a funny mix of whatever comes to my mind. And, like Lia, I add some spice with my very special non-native speaker's touch. ;D

*stares at the word "draught/draft"*

I wasn't even aware of the word "draught", but I certainly would have pronounced it wrong altogether. It is pronounced "draft", I take it? As in "laughed"? I'd have pronounced the vowel part as in "fought". Wrong, eh? That would be "drought" then, I suppose...

This link is very helpful, by the by. Can I add it to the Writing Resources Forum?

[glam-ang.livejournal.com]

Yup, as in "laughed", and certainly, feel free to add the link to the forum!

[kelpierocks.livejournal.com]

Yay for WIPs finished! Congrats. :)