Dialects and regionalisms…
By the time I became fluent in Spanish and could even dream in that language, I was able to appreciate some of the different ways of speaking it. Every Hispanic country in Latin America speaks it differently. In fact, in Colombia, where I lived a good many years, regional variations occur too. In Spain, the regional variations are even more marked (creating the so-called “nations of Spain”—fortunately for me, Colombia speaks primarily Castillian Spanish instead of Galician or Catalan).
Before I mastered Spanish, I had a nodding acquaintance with other foreign languages. On trips to Montreal and Quebec, I was struck by the difference between the French spoken there and Parisian French, which differs from what’s spoken in the rest of the country). Moscow’s Russian is different than St. Petersburg’s Russian. Many Americans and British have experienced their regional variations—Brooklyn English differs from Dallas’ English, and there are also variations even in London.
I write my novels in English. While I’m fluent in Spanish, I wouldn’t even attempt to write a novel in that language. But when there are Latino characters in my novel, I might mix some Spanish into their dialogue to make it more authentic (being careful to add “meaning X,” where X is a loose translation, if I think the average reader might not know the meaning).
All of the above is segue to one problem I had writing Rembrandt’s Angel, my new novel published by Penmore Press. To quote George Bernard Shaw: “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” Did I dare use variations characteristic of British English? You see, a large part of the book takes place in Great Britain. The main character Esther Brookstone is an English woman schooled in a public school (what Americans would call a private school!). Her Jaguar uses petrol, and she keeps her driving gloves in the cubby.
To answer the question above: I so dared! I often do “research” for my books, meaning that I set out to find background material. The Rembrandt painting “An Angel with Titus’ Features” became an obsession for Esther, but I had to understand its history, for example. In that same spirit, I researched British English for some time while I wrote the novel. I’ve probably made a good number of errors—British readers can correct me—but I spent hours studying it.
But what words did I choose? Esther is a wee bit saucy, so she should speak that way sometimes, at least among close acquaintances. However, she’s also cultured but not prudish or uppity. So a balance had to be struck. The Goldilock Principle applies: not too much British slang; just enough to reflect her character. (Of course, many of her actions also do that.) Looking for the right balance, especially in dialogue, was a challenge. But that’s the fun in writing. It’s always an adventure!
David Crystal has written a fascinating book, The Stories of English. Reading it, one can understand how English can be so varied in English-speaking countries, or even how dialects and regionalisms have come about on an island just thirty or so miles from the French coast (the French even contributed to English when the Normans conquered Saxon England). That history makes English into a living, vibrant thing and the devil to learn for anyone not speaking it as their mother tongue.
My goal in including a bit of British English in Rembrandt’s Angel, of course, was to add local color. In the process, Esther began to teach me to think a wee bit like a Brit. I’m happy to have had that opportunity. Shaw’s separation doesn’t seem so large to me now.
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Rembrandt’s Angel. To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. Published by Penmore Press, this novel is available in ebook format at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, B&N, and Apple, and in print through Amazon or your local bookstore (if they don’t have it, ask them to order it). Great summer reading!
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In libris libertas!
