How am I supposed to read this?
14 Jan 2009 01:13 amMore and more recently over the past year or two, there have been modern-setting stories (usually urban fantasy + humor/comedy) that incorporate pop culture. I have, somehow -- how, I don't know -- managed to inculcate a certain level of immunity to random Japanese like baka. I have also, somehow, managed to stifle the grimace down to a simple twinge when I see references to Sunnydale or Buffy or Anita or Lestat or any other mod-pop-cult iconage.
What I can not stomach is when authors use -- in dialogue, no less -- internet-based acronyms. Not because I don't know what DNF, or BFF, or OMG, or WTF means, but because I don't know how to read it. My brain suddenly splits into two separate voices.
Me: *translates* "Oh my god," she cried. *thinks* Wait, did she actually say, "oh em gee," or did she say "oh my god"? Which is it?
And then I just come to a complete halt, because I can't hear the story any more. I can only hear this bizarre disconnect over whether the character said the phrase that's the meaning of the acronym -- "oh my god" in this case -- or if the character actually said the acronym, in which case wouldn't one write it as "oh em gee"?
( And do you know ANYONE on this planet who says 'oh em gee!' without a wink-wink nudge-nudge delivery? )
Just doesn't work for me. All I end up thinking is: wow. Lazy writer, and what editor let her get away with that, or have people gotten so used to seeing the acronyms and thinking them, that they no longer hear them on the page anymore?
What I can not stomach is when authors use -- in dialogue, no less -- internet-based acronyms. Not because I don't know what DNF, or BFF, or OMG, or WTF means, but because I don't know how to read it. My brain suddenly splits into two separate voices.
“OMG.” She turned bright red. “OMG.” She covered her mouth. “OMG,” she said again, sort of muffled.
Me: *translates* "Oh my god," she cried. *thinks* Wait, did she actually say, "oh em gee," or did she say "oh my god"? Which is it?
And then I just come to a complete halt, because I can't hear the story any more. I can only hear this bizarre disconnect over whether the character said the phrase that's the meaning of the acronym -- "oh my god" in this case -- or if the character actually said the acronym, in which case wouldn't one write it as "oh em gee"?
( And do you know ANYONE on this planet who says 'oh em gee!' without a wink-wink nudge-nudge delivery? )
Just doesn't work for me. All I end up thinking is: wow. Lazy writer, and what editor let her get away with that, or have people gotten so used to seeing the acronyms and thinking them, that they no longer hear them on the page anymore?