British vs American dialogue
These are tense days for me. I've written a novel that has two British characters. And I made them speak British. Now I'm waiting for a reaction from my friend in Britain.
He may tell me I made a big mistake. W. Somerset Maugham, early in The Razor's Edge, announces that though he's writing about Americans, he won't even try to render their speech accurately, because that's impossible. American or British novelists who imitate each other's language only embarrass themselves.
But Herman Wouk, a novelist who rivals Maugham in popularity (and longevity), did not accept that dictate. In War and Remembrance he has his British characters talking British throughout. One of them, Pamela, says to her American husband, "'Lady Halifax says you're rather a lamb."
"'Is that good?"
"'The accolade.'"
This rings true to me. Throw Americans and Brits together, and they''ll notice the differences in the way they talk and be amused and annoyed. As Gorge Bernard Shaw said, England and America are two countries separated by the same language. Since my two Brits are in America, they make a lot of witty remarks about the language divide.
At least, I hope they're witty.
But it's possible I embarrassed myself as thoroughly as poor Alistair MacLean.
A Scot who became famous writing World War II thrillers set in Europe (The Guns of Navarone), he decided to try his hand at a Western Breakheart Pass. Big mistake. His sheriff says, "I'm the lawman, not you and your lot." His U.S. Cavalryman says, "The men are taking them for a bit of a canter." His gunfighter says, "I dare say we'll find something to talk about."
In addition to the danger of lapsing into your own tongue without realizing it, there's the danger of using a foreign expression incorrectly. I was worried enough about this to consult an expert, a scholar with a doctorate in modern languages from Cambridge. "'Naff' mean unfashionably dressed, right?" I asked. "Yes, he said. "But not exactly." He gave me a five-minute lecture on the connotations and denotations of 'naff.' There was a class angle too, of course.
And this is the guy whose opinion of my novel I am awaiting.
He may tell me I made a big mistake. W. Somerset Maugham, early in The Razor's Edge, announces that though he's writing about Americans, he won't even try to render their speech accurately, because that's impossible. American or British novelists who imitate each other's language only embarrass themselves.
But Herman Wouk, a novelist who rivals Maugham in popularity (and longevity), did not accept that dictate. In War and Remembrance he has his British characters talking British throughout. One of them, Pamela, says to her American husband, "'Lady Halifax says you're rather a lamb."
"'Is that good?"
"'The accolade.'"
This rings true to me. Throw Americans and Brits together, and they''ll notice the differences in the way they talk and be amused and annoyed. As Gorge Bernard Shaw said, England and America are two countries separated by the same language. Since my two Brits are in America, they make a lot of witty remarks about the language divide.
At least, I hope they're witty.
But it's possible I embarrassed myself as thoroughly as poor Alistair MacLean.
A Scot who became famous writing World War II thrillers set in Europe (The Guns of Navarone), he decided to try his hand at a Western Breakheart Pass. Big mistake. His sheriff says, "I'm the lawman, not you and your lot." His U.S. Cavalryman says, "The men are taking them for a bit of a canter." His gunfighter says, "I dare say we'll find something to talk about."
In addition to the danger of lapsing into your own tongue without realizing it, there's the danger of using a foreign expression incorrectly. I was worried enough about this to consult an expert, a scholar with a doctorate in modern languages from Cambridge. "'Naff' mean unfashionably dressed, right?" I asked. "Yes, he said. "But not exactly." He gave me a five-minute lecture on the connotations and denotations of 'naff.' There was a class angle too, of course.
And this is the guy whose opinion of my novel I am awaiting.
No comments have been added yet.
