Language Bloopers
I’ll be back to blogging next Friday, but until then I’m so pleased to introduce my final guest-blogger of the summer. Jessica Wakefield! As an Australian author, she’s sharing about the challenges she’s faced writing the dialogue of American characters. And she’s giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one of you! Thanks so much for contributing to our blog, Jessica. -Becky
“So? You mean it?”
“What? How do you think it’s going to happen?”
You’re wondering right now, what I’m talking about, aren’t you? Are you thinking, what’s with the dialogue above? Does it look odd to you? It doesn’t to me, but that’s because I’m Australian.
When I started writing my books, I already had a decent grasp on American terminology. I had this for three reasons. Firstly, my mum is from the Philippines and that is a very Americanised country. I grew up with some words that are American, not Australian. For example, in Australia we say lift, not elevator. I say elevator. We say footpath, not sidewalk. I say sidewalk. I get asked by students I teach if I’m American. All the time.
Secondly, I have American friends that lived and live here in my home city. The more time I spend with them, the more I pick up their words and phrases. Thirdly, I’ve had so many zoom sessions with my mentor, editors, agents, and other writers that I’ve picked up words and phrases along the way.
Back to the first set of dialogue at the beginning of this post. What’s wrong with it? Well, I’ve been informed that it’s not a normal American thing to start a sentence, that’s already a question, with another question. So? What does that mean? (wink, wink). It’s an Aussie thing. We do it in every day speech. My editor has lots of fun correcting this and other things.
I thought I’d list some of the word issues I’ve run into as I write my American characters, in their American settings. As you can see from the image below, these are just a few I still stumble over when I’m writing, which is why it’s so important that I have an American editor and beta readers.
Now, I think you might be asking another question. Am I ever going to write an American in Australia story, or an Australian in America story. The answer is yes! But the right story hasn’t presented itself just yet. It will.
My new release, Right in Front of You, is set in the fictional town of Trinity Lakes, Washington. This town has an unusual flavour. It’s home to lots of Australian and New Zealand characters. Now my hero and heroine, Hayden and Rachel are not from either place, but there’s a funny scene where they try and work out how to eat a meat pie. Right in Front of You is an ex-NFL player, friends-to-more story about forgiveness and moving forward, even when it’s hard and scary.
Please leave a comment to be entered to win a $10 Amazon card, courtesy of Jessica!
A winner will be randomly selected from all commenters Tuesday, August 27th.
As a kid, Australian author Jessica Wakefield penned really bad Anne of Green Gables fan fiction. Nowadays she lives in Newcastle with her husband, two daughters and a fluffy mini-groodle. Jessica has a lifelong love of Sweet Valley High books and is a recovering Gilmore girls addict. When she’s not fawning over her cuddly dog Ginny, you can find her reading, going for walks or baking. Find out more at: JessicaWakefield.com
Can he convince her that he’s not going to break her heart?
Rachel Marshall, a sports nutritionist, will do anything to save her mother’s health. Even traveling to the tiny town of Trinity Lakes to bring bad-boy NFL player, Hayden Donovan, back to Texas.
Despite turning over a new leaf, circumstances conspire against Hayden Donovan that sees his bad-boy reputation the center of viral social media outrage. His past won’t let him be the better man he’s determined to be.
When his nutritionist, Rachel, turns up to find him in Trinity Lakes, he sees an opportunity to strike a deal. He’ll help her get the medicine her mother needs if she’ll help him show the world he has truly changed.
Sparks fly between them, but will Rachel let cruel memories and scars from her past stop her from seeing the man behind the image? And will Hayden find the courage to show the world how much he’s truly changed?
Check out Right in Front of You on Amazon HERE!
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Languages and colloquialisms fascinate me so I loved this post. Thanks for blogging with us today, Jessica!
You’re welcome Deborah! Language is both really infuriating but so much fun at the same time. 🙂
I’m wondering if you say your American colloquialisms with an Aussie accent? 😉
Thank you for a fun post!
I was just watching an Australian TV show and had to put on the captions to understand some of it. Oddly the words I could not make out were not understood in the captions either. 😂
That’s hilarious!! Just think, Aussie’s shorten almost all words we can. Breakfast = brekkie, afternoon = arvo, mosquito = mozzie, barbeque = bbq (pronounced barbie), Ambulance = ambo, liquor store = bottle-o, umbrella = brolly, derelict = dero and devastated = devo. That’s such a few!
Probably!! But I’ve been told a do a decent Southern Accent from some of my US friends. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this, Jessica. Your book is wonderful! Such deep wounds healed by renewed faith and the support the characters receive from each other and the town.
So glad you loved the book. 🙂
I can relate to the mix up with languages! I was actually kicked out of French class once because I would get mixed up and speak Italian instead of French. The teacher thought I was being fresh.
that’s so funny!!! Love it!!
Thank you for sharing the subtle and fun differences in sentences and words.
Your new book sounds like a good read! I look forward to it!
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy my book. 🙂
Sounds like a fun read!
Thanks 🙂 It was fun (mostly) to write. But all writers can tell you the hair-pulling moments on the journey to completed novel are worth the endless, am I a good writer, this story sucks questions/statements that never stop circling. LOL
Sounds wonderful. Thank you for the chance. Blessings
You’re welcome!! 🙂
Right?? I can totally relate to this, Jessica!
(see what I did there?)
As a Canadian, I have a good grasp of How To Speak American.
But we have something called The Canadian Rise, which is an elevated timbre at the end of a question sentence, followed by another question with a higher vocal rise.
Yes, I’ve used that in my writing. I also had to cut about 800 uses of “I’m sorry”, which is something we say A LOT.
I see what you did and I appreciate it LOL.
I love the “I’m sorry” bit. That’s gold (meanings wonderful here in the very, very southern hemisphere!) LOL
I don’t care which words you use, as long as you say them in your beautiful Australian accent 🙂
Oh thank you!! 🙂
That’s funny. 😁 The closest thing I can relate that to is growing up in the south and having a neighbor from the north. Her accent or pronunciation of certain words would cause us to giggle, whereas some of our words would just leave her wondering what we were saying! It was through her friendship that I realized people in the north don’t talk the same as those in the south.😂
that’s funny. From my interactions with my US friends from all over the country, I’m realizing, one someone says in one state may not be said in another. 🙂
As an American editor and proofreader, I also come across plenty of differences in word choice, spelling and punctuation in manuscripts written by Canadian, UK or Australian authors. Thanks for the entertaining article!
Yes, for 4 countries that speak English, boy are there differences! Even grammar has slightly different rules from one place to the next.
Love Australian authors! I have a brother who lives in Sydney, Australia. And I love hearing him talk! Love the accent and slang!
Oh ta! (do you know what that one means?). I don’t use it at all, but so many of my friends do.
I don’t know what it means! Tell me…
You are a new to me author! God bless you!
Oh thank you! Blessings to you too. 🙂
I visited Australia once, and I was definitely easy to recognize as a tourist! 😄 I loved my time there!
Oh fun! Where did you go?
Hi Becky and Jessica:
This looks like a really fun book. I will have to check it out. Thank you for entering me in your drawing!
You’re welcome! 🙂
I have a niece who married an Englishman and lives in England. So, she had to learn to use the British terminology. In fact, she’s picked up a British accent, and if I didn’t know that she’s an American, I’d think she is British through and through. Actually she has dual citizenship, but she’d be hard pressed to pass for an American now with her British accent.
Wow, that’s rare. So much of our accent we keep, but then other parts get changed by moving elsewhere. 🙂
Love your books and I would be thrilled to wins gift card. Thanks for your great generosity.
Hope you enjoy whatever you read 🙂
I am so excited to read this.
Being a Canadian married to an American and living in the USA, there are a few differences. Nothing too crazy, but every once in a while I slip up, or can’t remember if it’s something people say in the USA.
I hope you enjoy the book!
Changing cultures (even to an English speaking one) is an on-going journey, but fun. 🙂
I have several Aussie friends and have picked up a lot of their words & phrases (torch instead of flashlight for example). How fun that you’re working the other way around with your American characters! It looks super fun.
Ah yes, torch instead of flashlight. That can have really funny consequences if misinterpreted. LOL. Thanks, I’m enjoying my writing journey thus far. 🙂
Aussies sound more British to me!
Sometimes we do sound British. 🙂
That’s too funny! We had friends from Australia visit recently and it was enjoyable to me to listen to their stories with their different slang and way of speaking. 😊 Especially when they talked about kangaroos, or roos, as they called them!😄
Ah yes, roos, yep, that’s Aussie’s for sure. I can’t wait to visit the USA again. 🙂
Fun article! And what a great cover for your book. Waves from a former Sweet Valley High reader. 🙂 My bestie and I read all of those books years ago.
Hello! I love that so many of us love sweet valley!! Thanks about the cover, I love it so much.
I love learning about language differences! Great post!
Thank you! 🙂
I have a good friend who lived in Australia for 16 years, so I’ve learned a lot of these words and phrases from her. I love how language is different in other parts of the world!
I’m so glad you have that friend. Friends from other parts of the world are so much fun 🙂
So interesting. Even here in the US there can be some differences from different parts of the country. Like soda being called pop. Or dinner instead of supper. 🙂
It’s funny how even regionally within the US we can have wildly different word choices. A number of years ago the New York Times made a US dialect quiz that’s scarily accurate at pinpointing where one is from, just based on 25 questions regarding word choice and a few pronunciation things. I’d love to see the data base behind it to see what people in a specific region do say! Does Australia have a large variation in colloquialisms?