I probably shouldn't be this irritated

[azurite]

I should also be doing school work (studying, writing my essay, working on my geology assignment), but I can't. This is weird, because it's different from the very distinct lack of motivation I've had before (like in junior year of high school). I want to do the work, but the inspiration, the idea isn't there.

So in the meantime, I'm perusing CSI: NY fics, and I'm noticing there seem to be a great deal of writers from the UK. I can tell because I'm seeing fics chock full of
kerb
tyre
litre
meter
best mate
torch
and stuff like that. I'm usually okay with that sort of thing, because I know what they all mean, but it's still jarring to see it. Why is it that there are Britpickers who'll come down on anyone writing in, say, the "Harry Potter" universe and not using proper British terms, but Americans don't do the same for decidedly American fandoms like CSI?

Would it make us seem stupid to complain?

Thing is, the particular fic I'm reading is from Stella's point-of-view, so I walk into it thinking "this is a story that I'm reading as if Stella herself were talking to me, or if she'd emailed me a transcript that she'd typed out of her week." So I don't expect Stella, an American woman, to spell "curb" as "kerb," or "tire" with a y. It just comes across as awkward.

I mean, it's not as if any of these words are particularly mysterious in their "American" equivalent. You've got
curb
tire
liter (gallon if it's gas, and other varying amounts depending on what else might be discussed, e.g. medicine, blood)
yards/feet
best friend
flashlight

*sigh* My brain's still all muddled and not much is helping. This sucks.

Comments

[geniusgirl.livejournal.com]

I understand where you're coming from. It is rather hypocritical. Few Americans really say "best mate" or "torch" and measure in litres or meters.

BUT

I wouldn't pick too much about the spelling. It's just what the writer is accustomed to. I mean, most people understand that neighbour = neighbor and it just depends on your word processor's settings which one winds up in your fic. So the litre/liter and tyre/tire argument probably isn't that important. If, however, the fic is supposed to be a transcript of something an American character wrote themselves, then the spelling should be altered. If it's just something showing up in the narration (even thoughts and speech), so long as it doesn't change the meaning of the word, does it really matter?

[azurite]

Yeah, I guess the spelling isn't so much of a nitpick because, at least in the case of things like 'tyre,' I can still see why it's spelled that way and pronounce it "right." But to my eye, "kerb" causes me to stop and wonder, because even though on second reading, it does pronounce the same way as "curb," for me, that spelling is jarring.

It's words like "torch" that throw me out of the story or character completely; to me, "torch" is a stick with a fire on top. Best mate is understandable, but also a bit jarring because... well... *sheepish grin* "mate" has a completely different connotation in American English....

As for the whole "transcript" part, what I meant by that was, a fic in X character's POV (in this case, Stella's) is LIKE a transcript-- if she kept a diary of all the events of her week, if she recorded every word said, if she "novelized" her time. So I'd expect something in her POV to function like that -as if she herself had written it- and that would extend to her word spelling and/or word usage.