Canadian dictionaries have entries for "eh," and this pleases me.

So does my USian one, actually. NOAD roolz!

It's the "he'd never say that" moments that make a story go wrong, on either side of the language question.

The other time it's a problem is in third person narration-- is that my voice, or not? For example, Clark walked round the front of the car, and I said he walked round the bonnet-- a UK phrase. My beta wanted it to be the hood-- what Clark would say or think, yes, but should the third person be his voice?

(That said, the letter or diary is an interesting case -- I'd probably side with the beta on that one, since in theory you're reproducing the character's words. But on the other hand, it'd make UK vs. US spellings much more of an issue than it ever really is, because the switching back and forth could really draw attention to them. Hmm. Must ponder. Must find examples on both sides. Must waste another day not getting anything useful done. Go team me.)

Yeah-- it was tricky. I've just checked, and in the end I kept British spelling throughout, both in "Various Versions" and the "Explanations" series, which was were the question arose.

Oaths, expletives, etc. are all fair game, as are nicknames ("mei-mei" for "little sister," and that sort of thing).

In fanfic, I've tended to feel that examples used in the canon were allowed-- but because Firefly canon used so many, the question of where to start/stop them in fanfic was difficult.

Saying "Passe-moi du sel, s'il te plait," (Pass the salt, please) is just unnecessary set-decoration, unless a character's inability to understand a language (or unwillingness to speak a certain language) is important to plot or character development.

Even then, if what they're saying is important, as well as the lanaguae they're saying it in, I'd feel I wanted to translate in the body of the text, or have it all actually in English and remark, "he said, still stubbornly in German."

I'm working myself into a neurotic dance of paranoia. I'll probably go home tonight and dig through all my fanfic on a mission to eradicate umpty-billion glaring errors. Whee!

You're not the only one stepping onto that dance floor.

So does my USian one, actually.

I covet your dictionary. My neighbor's wife, not so much, which indicates that the Ten Commandments were not written with me in mind.

If Laurence Fishburne moved in next door, that would sway the conversation.

Er. For on-topic-cakes, everyone who likes spy fic really ought to read Dana's new story, yes yes.

Even then, if what they're saying is important, as well as the lanaguae they're saying it in, I'd feel I wanted to translate in the body of the text, or have it all actually in English and remark, "he said, still stubbornly in German."

Wrod. In one of my fics, I slip in occasional reminders that one of the main characters' first languages is not the language he's speaking. Fractured grammar is annoying and distracting, so what I've done on a couple of occasions is show him being befuddled by an idiomatic expression or have to come up for a substitute for a technical term (e.g. "thick" rather than "viscous" to describe a substance found at a crime scene.)

should the third person be his voice?

Not necessarily, but if Harry Potter's wearing a jumper, Clark walks around a hood. It's the setting voice, and the Smallville setting is Americana.

Not necessarily, but if Harry Potter's wearing a jumper, Clark walks around a hood. It's the setting voice, and the Smallville setting is Americana.

Point-- and, in that case, I did in fact change it (edit: yes, I really did. I've just checked). The harder one was the same word, later in the same fic, only this time the car was Victoria's. I still haven't decided about that one.

Who's speaking? If it's the same narrative voice as the first time, it should be consistent. If Victoria's talking, then it's a bonnet.

Who's speaking? If it's the same narrative voice as the first time, it should be consistent. If Victoria's talking, then it's a bonnet.

Yes. This. One of the things I like about switching viewpoints from scene to scene is that it gives me a chance to write for extended lengths of time in different voices.

It's the narrative voice. Consistency is important-- but I suspect (I'm just re-reading) that the narrative voice slipped to become a little more British the moment Victoria entered the scene, because it started telling things from almost-her-POV. Hum. It may not just be that word I need to change...

Cereal:

Yes. This. One of the things I like about switching viewpoints from scene to scene is that it gives me a chance to write for extended lengths of time in different voices.

That's how I ended up writing diary entries. I was trying to make this fic be more of a piece, with one voice. Although-- as I've just noticed-- the voice is sort of changing through it. Dammit.