Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site topaz.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxj!mhuxn!ihnp4!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!topaz!ops From: ops@ncsc Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: welsh-ish names Message-ID: <2632@topaz.ARPA> Date: Tue, 9-Jul-85 14:13:56 EDT Article-I.D.: topaz.2632 Posted: Tue Jul 9 14:13:56 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 11-Jul-85 08:09:59 EDT Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 21 From: ------ OperatorWhen I was a little girl writing stories I used to make up names for my characters by banging on the typewriter like this --- wsdfgbhnjmkpoijuhgv --- and throwing out every other letter so I'd have a character named wdghjkojhv (pronounced, of course, wedge-koohdge-hahv). I would make up words like ouejw (oh-eej-wa, I think) for that ytebdg on mcnhhf-mvhsx. Sometimes I think that's what some authors do, too. (Bring to a boil) My point: Dialect is well and good when it adds to the story, but when you have to skip over the word even silently because it's unpronounceable, a line must be drawn. Authors shouldn't give into the silliness I described above or, even worse, the follow the growing number of authors basing their books on Celtic and non-Western mythos by inserting 'welsh-ish', or 'japanese-ish' or swahili-ish' sounding words as a hook. (Reduce to simmer) Jessie@ncsc -------