Is Dwilight really SMA?

[Chenier]

About literacy...

There's a character in my realm who writes/speaks very, very bad. I don't know if it's because he is trying to represent an accent, or that his character doesn't know to write, or that he just isn't good with the language himself, or any combination of these. I don't know, and I honestly don't really care. He never speaks unless spoken to directly in public, but he's a very important asset to me. So really, I just plan on using (in a mutually beneficial way) him at the best of his abilities, while reducing the number of times he must speak in public, especially to foreigners. Totally seems like something that would be done in the times. Not every nobles had an IQ of 120, you know. And it's not because a person (read: character) has poor communication skills that he's completely useless and must be driven off the island.

[Perth]

Addendum to #4: If you have been insulted and it's quite justifiable, then if the insulting party does not accept your duel of honor, that person(s) should be aggressively ostracized, ridiculed, and literally have his/her life on Dwilight be so horrible that he/she would wish he/she were dead. I do not like it when people talk big but back out on the natural consequences. At least Bowie for all his talk actually does face the music (and by chance walks away, impressively enough).

Just because someone may insult/offend you doesn't necessarily mean you have to challenge them to duels, though. Indeed, especially for people who know they won't win those duels, vengeance and honor if often regained through many other means. Often means that turn out much more for the better of both parties and the realm at large, even.

[Bedwyr]

My Mentor was Armitage III D'Anglos, who has the worst English of anyone I've ever met with Battlemaster.  She was also the legendary Queen of Abington, one of the most effective players I've ever met, and taught me more about the game than basically every other Mentor I've ever heard of.  Made an effort to welcome new nobles, talked about Abington's history, taught amazing strategy, and whenever something went wrong in Abington everyone looked to her.

I will not in any way, shape, or form support a literacy test and will kick, scream, and use every dirty tactic I know to keep it from happening (not that I think Tom would ever in a million years support it any way).

[Perth]

(not that I think Tom would ever in a million years support it any way).

Yeah, I mean, Tom himself, while speaking great English, isn't even a native speaker, right? Isn't he German?

[Glaumring the Fox]

I do not support a literacy test... Terrible idea.

[songqu88@gmail.com]

My Mentor was Armitage III D'Anglos, who has the worst English of anyone I've ever met with Battlemaster.  She was also the legendary Queen of Abington, one of the most effective players I've ever met, and taught me more about the game than basically every other Mentor I've ever heard of.  Made an effort to welcome new nobles, talked about Abington's history, taught amazing strategy, and whenever something went wrong in Abington everyone looked to her.

I will not in any way, shape, or form support a literacy test and will kick, scream, and use every dirty tactic I know to keep it from happening (not that I think Tom would ever in a million years support it any way).

Speaking of mentors with poor English, my mentor was Elberan Carnes, Count of An Najaf when I firs started, who later became Banker and Duke of Ashforth. Quite the effective mentor too.

[Indirik]

Besides, in my 6 years in BM I've not read a single letter that I wasn't able to understand, no matter how poor the writer's English was.

I've gotten one or two. There was one from a judge of Sirion a while back that I simply could not piece together without asking for help from someone who was in Sirion at the time. Usually, though, you're right. Most messages can be comprehended if you give it a try.

[Indirik]

Yeah, I mean, Tom himself, while speaking great English, isn't even a native speaker, right? Isn't he German?

Yes, he is German. Not that you could tell from the way he writes. He's very fluent in English. (Of the British variety, of course.)

[Indirik]

If BM adds the pressure to write in perfect english, I won't dare to have any fun anymore!

Broken English normally doesn't bother me. What does bother me, though, are those people who insist in writing in intentionally broken English. You know, the one's that use excessive apostrophes to simulate mispronunciations, slang, etc. Like "dese 'ere enemys gotsta be gittin' da' golds outta' da pezents wit sum lashin's", and similar annoying things. I mostly ignore letters like that. If anyone asks me to comment on it, I claim to have been unable to make heads or tails of it, and thus tossed it in the trash. Writing "letters" in this manner makes absolutely no sense at all. An RP? Sure. A written letter? No way.

[Anaris]

Broken English normally doesn't bother me. What does bother me, though, are those people who insist in writing in intentionally broken English. You know, the one's that use excessive apostrophes to simulate mispronunciations, slang, etc. Like "dese 'ere enemys gotsta be gittin' da' golds outta' da pezents wit sum lashin's", and similar annoying things. I mostly ignore letters like that. If anyone asks me to comment on it, I claim to have been unable to make heads or tails of it, and thus tossed it in the trash. Writing "letters" in this manner makes absolutely no sense at all. An RP? Sure. A written letter? No way.

Agreed.

Tarajist Balewind is one of the worse offenders in this.

No one writes in a dialect or accent. In particular, no scribe would ever write in a dialect or accent.  However you pronounce your haitches or -ings, you still spell them out properly when writing.

And please ignore the fact that BM's setting predates standardized spelling.  BM's playing does not.

[Indirik]

And please ignore the fact that BM's setting predates standardized spelling.  BM's playing does not.

Deliberate typos, alternate spellings, grammar errors, etc., really wouldn't bother me too much. It reveals something about the character. (Mainly that you're semi-literate and don't care who knows it, or that your scribe is semi-literate and you don't care.)

It's the deliberate attempt to mimic purely speech mannerisms in written letters that bothers me. Like putting in apostrophes to indicate missing, non-pronounced letters at the ends of words. You wouldn't write something like gettin'. The apostrophe shows that there are letters missing. You wouldn't write an apostrophe to show that you're leaving off the g, you'd either write the g, or not put in an apostrophe. It would be either gettin or getting, depending on how literate and grammatically accurate you are. The apostrophe shows pronunciation. And you're not pronouncing a letter, you're writing it.

[Shizzle]

And you're not pronouncing a letter, you're writing it.

I followed Indirik, but that last phrase ruined your argumentation. You're not writing a letter, you're dictating it.

[Anaris]

I followed Indirik, but that last phrase ruined your argumentation. You're not writing a letter, you're dictating it.

Not always. Many players roleplay their characters as personally writing some or all of their letters.

And furthermore, even if you're dictating the letter, someone's writing it.

[Indirik]

You're not writing a letter, you're dictating it.

Wait... You're trying to say the scribe is going to faithfully record all the noble's mispronunciations, grammatical errors, contractions, foibles of speech, and regional dialects faithfully in a phonetic transcription of sounds instead of actually writing the words that the noble is saying, and do it in a manner that makes the noble sound like some 6 year old, backwoods,  uneducated, retarded "differently-abled" kid with a speech impediment? Regardless of who writes it, it's a letter.

[Shizzle]

Well, I know all that. I guess it was just stupid of me to point out that letters were usually dictated Pff, I'll be happy when I can stop trolling and enjoy the summer. >:-{