"Grrr," he hissed
Aug. 13th, 2010 12:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
desperanceSigh. My copy editor is clearly of that tendency that believes you cannot hiss without a sibilant, meaning in this instance at least one "s" in the sentence.
I think this is mere superstition. I think it's perfectly possible to supply your own sibilance, a generic hissiness in the breath around the words. I also believe that "whisper" is no substitute for "hiss". But of course I have no opportunity to explain this, to propound my beliefs in a footnote.
So. If I stet this, will the reading world mock me for a fool? Will it rise up as one, crying "Absurdity! Unhissable! There is no "s" in that sentence!" and should I therefore leave her substitution intact?
Or should I recast the sentence so that it does have a sibilant?
Aargh. I am cleft on the horns of the third alternative.
I think this is mere superstition. I think it's perfectly possible to supply your own sibilance, a generic hissiness in the breath around the words. I also believe that "whisper" is no substitute for "hiss". But of course I have no opportunity to explain this, to propound my beliefs in a footnote.
So. If I stet this, will the reading world mock me for a fool? Will it rise up as one, crying "Absurdity! Unhissable! There is no "s" in that sentence!" and should I therefore leave her substitution intact?
Or should I recast the sentence so that it does have a sibilant?
Aargh. I am cleft on the horns of the third alternative.