Reading Douglish: A Brief Translation Guide
Jun 16, 2014 21:41:30 GMT
Post by Douglas Bountayne on Jun 16, 2014 21:41:30 GMT
...Okay, I'll be the first to admit that reading Douglas' posts is not an easy task. He's got a thick accent that can really only be conveyed phonetically - since if I wrote normally, you wouldn't get the same sort of attitude from his dialogue now would you? As for why actions and thoughts are narrated in Douglish as well - again, it's an attitude thing. If I wrote naturally and then had his "Douglish" dialogue, there would be an awkward disconnect between reading what he does and what he says.
So, reasons for the accent aside, let's get to the actual language itself!
As I've mentioned before, the easiest way to read his dialogue is by saying it out loud. But besides that, also consider various accents when you read - his goes somewhere between being variations on Scottish and English, with dashes of Newfoundland in there.
The Newf isn't really heard in the way he talks, but what exactly he says - Douglas will say things like "I walks to the store" or "I goes to visit me parents". That's a Newfie convention - the action gets an added 's'. Referring to himself often ends up switching the pronoun 'I' out with 'me'.
Now, for the Scottish and English accent - this is where you want to be reading what he says out loud. You'll notice certain things in his dialogue - "wot" and "tryn'a", for instance. 'Wot', when said out loud, sounds a whole lot like "what" with a variation of an English accent put on. Another word that's a bit more English is "to". Instead of outright saying 'to', he says "ter". That also goes for words containing 'to'. So today is TERday.
"Tryn'a" is a bit trickier - that is actually him saying "Trying to". That's where he goes a little more towards Scottish. Scottish dialogue - at least based on some accents - can blend words together. "Tryn'a" is one of those. It's spoken quickly and sounds like one word - which is a common convention with that kind of accent. A common one you might know is "Can'ne" or "Can'na" (phonetically it sounds like Can Nah). Another is "t'something". That's basically blending the word 'to' with something else - so for example..."T'be or not t'be".
Now the last thing I have to comment on for now is slang. He fortunately doesn't use too much, but keep an eye out for Scottish or Newfie slang. It shouldn't be too hard to get what he's talking about in context though. A few slang terms I can list off would be these:
Lily-man/boy/girl/human - Basically girly. If you're a guy you're being insulted. XD
Babby/Young'in/Mite/Kiddie/Wee'un - Doug has a whole lot of ways of calling you young and/or childish.
So I'mma end the thread here for now....but if I think of anything else to add, I will! Also - if anyone has a question about his dialogue - you can post in here too. Just remember to keep English, Scottish and Newf in mind when reading his stuff. Keep your eyes peeled for updates!
So, reasons for the accent aside, let's get to the actual language itself!
As I've mentioned before, the easiest way to read his dialogue is by saying it out loud. But besides that, also consider various accents when you read - his goes somewhere between being variations on Scottish and English, with dashes of Newfoundland in there.
The Newf isn't really heard in the way he talks, but what exactly he says - Douglas will say things like "I walks to the store" or "I goes to visit me parents". That's a Newfie convention - the action gets an added 's'. Referring to himself often ends up switching the pronoun 'I' out with 'me'.
Now, for the Scottish and English accent - this is where you want to be reading what he says out loud. You'll notice certain things in his dialogue - "wot" and "tryn'a", for instance. 'Wot', when said out loud, sounds a whole lot like "what" with a variation of an English accent put on. Another word that's a bit more English is "to". Instead of outright saying 'to', he says "ter". That also goes for words containing 'to'. So today is TERday.
"Tryn'a" is a bit trickier - that is actually him saying "Trying to". That's where he goes a little more towards Scottish. Scottish dialogue - at least based on some accents - can blend words together. "Tryn'a" is one of those. It's spoken quickly and sounds like one word - which is a common convention with that kind of accent. A common one you might know is "Can'ne" or "Can'na" (phonetically it sounds like Can Nah). Another is "t'something". That's basically blending the word 'to' with something else - so for example..."T'be or not t'be".
Now the last thing I have to comment on for now is slang. He fortunately doesn't use too much, but keep an eye out for Scottish or Newfie slang. It shouldn't be too hard to get what he's talking about in context though. A few slang terms I can list off would be these:
Lily-man/boy/girl/human - Basically girly. If you're a guy you're being insulted. XD
Babby/Young'in/Mite/Kiddie/Wee'un - Doug has a whole lot of ways of calling you young and/or childish.
So I'mma end the thread here for now....but if I think of anything else to add, I will! Also - if anyone has a question about his dialogue - you can post in here too. Just remember to keep English, Scottish and Newf in mind when reading his stuff. Keep your eyes peeled for updates!
