US spellings

[desperance]

My remarkably good friend moshui finds himself quandarised caught on the horns of a quandary, and you know how uncomfortable that can be.

His copy-editor has recast his new fantasy novel in American spelling; which is not unreasonable on the face of it, its having an American publisher and hence inevitably a largely American audience. But Dan is a Brit to his boots, and his English is exceedingly British, and he's just not comfortable with this strange accent it's been pressed into.

But of course, being brighter than me, his first concern is sales. If he asked for the spellings to revert to English English, will potential readers be put off? He asks, and I don't know the answer; so I thought I'd ask you on his behalf. Go on over here and give him the benefit of your wisdom, for I have none.

(NB - it's a fantasy novel in a secondary world, sorta Chinese but not; no variety of English would be anybody's mother tongue, if that makes a difference...)

Comments

[martyn44.livejournal.com]

I was in a largely American writing group and put up a story that was just about as English as you can get - set on a combination Solsbury Hill/Yatton - and there was outrage I used English usages. I suggest being pragmatic and going with what the local experts suggest for a foreign language edition.

Daiper for nappy. I ask you.

[triciasullivan.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. I can still remember how, a teenager trying to make sense of song lyrics, I had SO MUCH CONFUSION over the phrase 'nappy suffering' in a 1970s Jethro Tull song. If only Americans were exposed more gradually to these things...

[moshui.livejournal.com]

As it happens, I did refer to "a baby in napkins" - and did carefully spell out "napkins", not to confuse anybody with nappies - and I have yet to see what the copy editor has done with it, but I am anticipating something dreadful. If they've changed it to diapers, there will be hell to pay.

[valydiarosada.livejournal.com]

My mother (who is now in her eighties) always used the word "napkin" to mean what everyone else refers to as a "nappy", and my American sister-in-law calls a "diaper".

Going back to an earlier thread in this debate, I happily accept US vocabulary used by American writers and if I'm reading a US edition, I happily accept US spellings. However if a writer I know to be British uses an Americanism, especially in a British edition (and the late, great Bob Shaw often used the word "sidewalk" instead of the more usual "pavement"), it always hits me between the eyes.

[triciasullivan.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear...this is fraught, isn't it? I mean, 'a baby in napkins' is going to be even worse, because 'napkins' are strictly for wiping one's mouth, in the US.

Remind me to keep well clear of it all when the copy edit comes back...

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Hell, it was our language first. If they make any more fuss, we should ask for it back.