How characters use language.
It's rather fascinating beta-reading for a non-native speaker.
Partially because I have to think about language a lot more - and why we say "also" or "too" and what the difference is, and when we'd use "may" instead of "might", and how on earth to explain the difference between "checking on" someone and "checking up on" them.
But it's also quite interesting having to analyse the way different people talk, and how words that work for one of them really wouldn't be used by another one...
Like the word "confide".
After thinking this through, I informed my beta-ee (is that a word?) that, in my opinion, Giles would use the word "confide". And Xander wouldn't.
Buffy, on the other hand...
It's complicated.
Because Giles uses very complex and exact words, like "confide".
And Xander doesn't really use that much of an extensive vocabulary - certainly not a vocabulary that includes words like "confide", anyway.
But Buffy...
She (or so I decided) has a very extensive vocabulary, but tends to treat language like something you put in a blender. So...
I mean...
I could see Giles saying "If you wish to confide in me, Willow..." or "The other day, Dawn confided to me that..." or something like that.
And Buffy wouldn't say that.
What she would do is look up from her magazine guiltily and say "Sorry... here you are getting all confidey, and I'm not listening..."
And then Willow would say "No, that's okay, Buffy, it's not that important."
And Buffy would shut the magazine dramatically and say "No! See - listening. The magazine is closed. Go ahead - confide."
It's not exactly the standard way to use the words - but as long as she is using them in a weird, rather chaotic fashion, Buffy can use words that would normally sound completely wrong for anyone who wasn't Giles.
*ponders this some more*
Partially because I have to think about language a lot more - and why we say "also" or "too" and what the difference is, and when we'd use "may" instead of "might", and how on earth to explain the difference between "checking on" someone and "checking up on" them.
But it's also quite interesting having to analyse the way different people talk, and how words that work for one of them really wouldn't be used by another one...
Like the word "confide".
After thinking this through, I informed my beta-ee (is that a word?) that, in my opinion, Giles would use the word "confide". And Xander wouldn't.
Buffy, on the other hand...
It's complicated.
Because Giles uses very complex and exact words, like "confide".
And Xander doesn't really use that much of an extensive vocabulary - certainly not a vocabulary that includes words like "confide", anyway.
But Buffy...
She (or so I decided) has a very extensive vocabulary, but tends to treat language like something you put in a blender. So...
I mean...
I could see Giles saying "If you wish to confide in me, Willow..." or "The other day, Dawn confided to me that..." or something like that.
And Buffy wouldn't say that.
What she would do is look up from her magazine guiltily and say "Sorry... here you are getting all confidey, and I'm not listening..."
And then Willow would say "No, that's okay, Buffy, it's not that important."
And Buffy would shut the magazine dramatically and say "No! See - listening. The magazine is closed. Go ahead - confide."
It's not exactly the standard way to use the words - but as long as she is using them in a weird, rather chaotic fashion, Buffy can use words that would normally sound completely wrong for anyone who wasn't Giles.
*ponders this some more*