NotSpellingMistakes

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Revision as of 12:42, 27 September 2009 by Esr (talk | contribs)

This page exists to collect some notes for non-native speakers of English, who have a tendency to read certain archaic dialect words and usages as incorrect.

In An Orcish Incursion and elsewhere, "march" is not a typo for "marsh"; also, in Liberty, "marchlander" is not a typo for "marshlander". "The marches" is archaic English for the border country of a kingdom. The word was originally Norse "mark" and is related to the ordinary English word "mark"; it also appears as an element in the place name "the Estmark Hills" which is "the hills of the eastern border".

In Son Of The Black Eye, the phrasing "the River Bork" is correct. Modern English usage would favor "the Bork River", but "the River Bork" is historically common and still used in fantasy literature.

In Son Of The Black Eye, "whupping" is a Southern American rural dialect word - a rather rough and rude one - that means "a severe beating", either as verb or noun. It is an appropriate word for Orcs to use.

In Liberty we make an exception to the normal rule of using American spellings in preference to British in the base text. Thus, "Grey Woods" rather than "Gray woods". We do this because to anyone who notices the difference, "Grey" will probably sound slightly archaic.

In Sceptre of Fire we make another exception: "scepter" is spelled British fashion, for the same reason.

Ib Northern Rebirth and elsewhere, do not mistakenly change the verb 'preying' to 'praying'. Thety mean different things.

Remember that we capitalize the name of a race when (and only when) referring to the entire race. Thus: "the lore of the Elves", but "a band of elves".