Writing VS. Saying

[Tensleep]

I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm writing I can hear how the characters would say different things. However I tend to ignore most of the accent in favor of my spell checker not having a heart attack. The bravest I get is turning an ing ending into an in' ending or using 'Dunno' or 'Gotta' from time to time

So I'll ask you all this - do you actually write what you hear these boys saying? I've seen some of you with our rumbles just bring the character's different accents and colloquialisms to life with well placed punctuation or slang. What's the opinion on this?

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[zevie]

Because I love rules SO MUCH, I tend to write a lot of colloquialisms and fragments, and even a run-on sentence or "ya" when it fits, lol. (Eg: "See ya." - I actually say it like this... is that weird?) I find it a little weird sometimes to not read the accents in first person for someone I would expect would think that way and likely wouldn't be writing (like Two-Bit), but if I can believe that that person was writing (like Ponyboy) it doesn't faze me to see an "-ing". But, really, to me it's not a necessity either way.

[Masquerade]

When I see the word "ya" in Outsiders fanfiction, I take it as being pronounced "yuh", and meaning "you".

(Eg: "See ya." - I actually say it like this... is that weird?)

Lol, Zevie--I don't think it's weird, I pronounce it that way too!
And the slang I use most--gotta and gonna. Probably because that's how I talk.

[zevie]

Ahh, I understand the "ya" thing now. I have my own personal peeves, like seeing "ain't" used in places where it's not replacing "isn't". But, I don't know the grammar rules of the use of "ain't", lol, so it never makes the comments.

I read this book a while ago (which I can't remember) which was written in a Scottish accent...I don't think I finished it, lol, but for other reasons than the accent. It was incredibly distracting at first, but the more I read the easier it was to understand, and it definitely gave it a strong character - it wouldn't have been the same without it.

[zevie]

I remembered. It was Irvine Welsh's "Trainspotting." Read with caution, lol.

[maxiekat]

Zevie, I tried to read Trainspotting, too. I found the only way I could understand some parts of it was to read it outloud, accent and all. It is kind of like Shakespeare though, once you get the rhythm of the language down it all starts to make sense. When the sequel, Porno, came out I just paged through it to see what happened to the characters. There was no way I was going to try and read it, lol. I recently read an interview with Irvine Welsh and he said he couldn't understand the language in Trainspotting anymore and he's the one who wrote it.

[Masquerade]

Lol. I haven't read that particular book, but I've read some in Scottish accents. It was all "I didna ken" and stuff like that. Probably not as confusing as that one, though...when the author himself doesn't understand what he wrote, you know there's a problem!

[Keira]

I also tend to write with accents in place, but I don't have trouble reading it one way or another. It's only jarring, and takes me out of the moment, when I read things such as words not being worked into contractions (excessively), etc...

"Ya" has always been an issue with me. I come from a place that says "ya" (sounding like "Yuh") even though we usually don't realize it. I write it in my works sometimes - however, when I read it in other people's works, it looks forced. I would prefer to see "you" in place of "ya". Am I a hypocrite, or what?

[fairlane]

I use 'ya' in the place of you without even realising it sometimes, I just write it how I imagine it sounding. And gonna, ain't, and so on, but I try not to over do it.

I find it hard to read books that are written in a accent its so distracting. I was reading one where a Southern accent was used and "I" was written as "Ah" and "goan" instead of "going" etc it got irritating real fast.

I went to see Trainspotting at the movies and it took about 20 minutes for the accents to start making sense - I kept thinking it needed subtitles.

[st.elmo-lover]

I tend to write with accents. I can usually hear what the character sounds like or what I want s/he to sound like when I'm writing. I usually only use accents when it's direct quotes or first person, though. Because using it all the time in third person is annoying and it gets on my nerves. I guess it's just a peeve of mine. Like, when I'm reading Newses fanfictions (love that movie) I sometimes find stories that are written in the third person that have New York accents written in when no character is speaking. Just gets on my nerves A LOT.

[latch22]

My theory when writing accents is that less is more. I use "gonna," but I think that may be it..

[queenjaneapprxmtly]

I agree. Whenever I try to write accents, they come out sounding terrible. Like I don't know what I'm talking about or something. I can't even write a true Chicago accents, and I'm from Chicago. Lol. :p

[latch22]

Oh, I've actually been told that I'm good with accents--partly because I don't write them too much, or mangle them. Or at least some, like Irish or New York...

Have you ever read a story with absurd, over-the-top New Yawk accents? It's not just that you must decipher the lines, but, also, I don't think anybody in real life even speaks that way--not with that type of accent; just the way that it's often written.

I once read a story where the dialogue was so mangled that, when someone used a word bigger than "the," there was actually a key to tell you what that monstrous grouping of letters translated to. There was one at the end of the page, and, also, it was written in parentheses next to the word when it was spoken.

I like to think that hearing them in my own mind is enough.

I've noticed that, for some reason, I analyze people's speech patterns. I don't mean to, but I do, and yet I have no idea what a Chicago accent sounds like. (Now you've got me really curious, though.)

And I've heard that there's a Connecticut accent, but I've never heard it myself. Supposedly, it has something to do with the R's. Maybe that comes from farther east in the state, though.

[Tensleep]

Man, I forgot about this topic for a while...

The 'ya' discussion amuses me greatly. I use 'Yer' from time to time, so forget ya being out there...

And yes, that's my contribution!

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[queenjaneapprxmtly]

Oh, I don't think I've read anything like that. I've heard some pretty outrageous 'New Yawk' accents, though, lol.

The Chicago accent is fairly distinct, I think. I probably don't have it, because I'm from the suburbs, technically, but if you go into the city, it's pretty strong, and since I'm only thirty, forty-five minutes away, I could probably pick it up if I spent enough time there.

(Random, but I read this thing once where it said, You Know You're from Chicago When ... , and one of them was, "you measure distances from the city in minutes," or something, and I always do that. And I realized I just did it here. :p)

Chicagoans tend to have a lot of vowel shifting, so sometimes words like "bad" sound like "bed," and "hot" sounds a little like "hat." And words like "this," "the," and "that" often sound like "dis," "da," and "dat." Lol.

Also a lot of people say "yous guys" instead of "you guys," and they tend to pluralize grocery stores -- "going to the Jewels," "got this at Targets," etc.

So I guess that's a little bit of an overview, since you were curious, lol. :)