Click the link below for a thought provoking discussion about whether to use Australian spelling or American spelling in a novel set in Sydney, Australia.
September 1 at 7:42 AM
Please feel free to add your thoughts in the Comment Box.
September 1 at 7:42 AM
Please feel free to add your thoughts in the Comment Box.
In books published in the United States I can understand reducing regional accents to a bare minimum in order not to distract readers from the story line, but this is different. The story itself is set in a country where the same language is used, but in a way that includes some differences in spelling and commonly used idioms. Having visited Australia I can see from experience that Americans are unlikely to become distracted or confused by the use of Australian spelling or idioms. What's more, it seems to me that using American spelling in the narrative and speech of characters who are Australian in Australia would be wholly inappropriate and far more strange and distracting to readers than telling the story in the way they would tell it! In short, Americanizing the language would change the flavor and depth of the author's story. I say leave it as it was written!
ReplyDeleteWell said! As the author, I've attempted to take a distanced, unbiased view. At the end of the day, however, I'm back to where I started and believe it is important to maintain Australian spelling—which does not involve every word y the way. After all, we're not talking about writing the story in a different language.
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