Pet Peeves: The letter P does not have to be explained.

[hells_half_acre]

Listen Fic-Writers,

You don't have to tell me that someone is "popping the 'p'" when they say "yup" - it's in the word. Try saying "yup" WITHOUT popping the P. Seriously, TRY IT. YOU CAN'T.It's a P they POP, that's what Ps DO! When you take the time to unnecessarily explain it, it's like writing:

"Shhh" he said, making a shushing noise with his mouth.

or

"AAAAHHH!" he screamed, loudly demonstrating the sound of the first letter of the alphabet.

or

"Hello," he said, pushing air through his vocal chords while using his mouth and tongue in such a way that the resulting sound waves formed the standard greeting in his culture.

...okay, now I'm just making myself laugh.

P.S: Sorry I haven't been around much. My schedule is all fucked up these days. I should be around an annoying amount in October to make up for it, so don't worry!

Comments

[ramblin_rosie]

Actually, I generally don't pop the p in "yep" and "nope." When I describe someone popping the final p in a word, I mean a loud, intentional pop that almost makes the p its own syllable, like overenunciating the final t or d. It's a kind of verbal punch--almost phonetic punctuation--as opposed to the normal plosive we use in regular conversation. (It's usually Gabriel I show speaking that way, if that helps.)
ETA: Here's an example, though the popped ps in this case are initial:

[/pedantic pickiness]


Anyroad. Hey, you! *waves*

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

So, basically you're saying that you say "YePUH" because dude, that just makes me hate it more. Because not only is it unnecessary, it sounds obnoxious.

Anyway, maybe this is just a personal taste thing then - thus making it a pet peeve, but to me, in the context of all the conversation and knowing the character, I know exactly how that P is going to sound without it having to be explained to me.

I never came across it in SPN fic, I gotta say. This is a Teen Wolf fandom phenomena that is WIDE-SPREAD and SUPER ANNOYINNG (to me.)

Seriously, SO ANNOYING.

But yeah, maybe they're right, maybe it DOES require extra explanation to everyone who is not me so I am the only one that is annoyed by it.

To me, it's always going to sound like unnecessary over explaining. Seriously, the more I say "yup" to myself, there is no possible alternative but to pronounce the p. It's not like the final t or d in a word, which I can swallow. I HAVE to say the P. So, maybe it's just unnecessary if you have a Canadian accent and there are people in the states that have a magical ability not to say the letter p? I don't know.

Now I'm just rambling. It's 3:40am. I need to go to bed.

Railway, HELLO! *waves*

[ramblin_rosie]

It may indeed be an accent thing--I often end up turning the p in "yep" and "nope" into a glottal stop (so it's more like "ye'," as opposed to "yeah"). And it is obnoxious, usually intentionally so, which is why it's usually Gabriel's schtick in my fics.

ETA: Now that I think about it, the way Jensen says "Nope" in the new "Fist Bump" promo is about the way I normally pronounce it.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

ETA: Now that I think about it, the way Jensen says "Nope" in the new "Fist Bump" promo is about the way I normally pronounce it.

Definitely an accent thing then, because if I were to transcribe that video, I would have written that Jensen just says "No" - I don't hear a P, so the P doesn't get written in.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

WHOA! Okay... just listened to the example... WHAT THE HELL?!

I do not understand that noise. That's not a letter, that's like... the front-of-the-mouth equivalent of a glottal-stop or something.

Now both annoyed by the unnecessary descriptor and the fact that I have never heard any character ever make that noise when speaking ever. :P

[ramblin_rosie]

:D Seriously? Must be a US thing, then.

[jennytork.livejournal.com]

yeah, that's what we're talking about -- it's the difference between a normal 'yup' and an obnoxious (like Gabriel does) 'yu-PAH!'

That's the 'popping' we're talking about.

LOL and yeah, that's Peter Tork doing his "popping-P song". It's guaranteed to make little kids laugh. And fangirls at concerts -- he reduced a bunch of us to screaming laughter doing it live at a Shoe Suede Blues concert once.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Craziness. I have no words.

I still hate it though. :P

[supernutjapan.livejournal.com]

I think I "swallow" the p at the end of "yup"...
I stop it with my lips closed and don't open for the final "puh."

But, I have doubts as to how an explanation of the way someone says "yup" could contribute significantly to the story.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I suppose I do that too sometimes, but if I wanted to capture that sound in fic, I would put "yeah" or "ya" or "He made an affirming noise", because yeah, there's no "p" when you that.

But, I have doubts as to how an explanation of the way someone says "yup" could contribute significantly to the story.

Exactly!! Most of the time when someone uses it, it's to show that the character is being slightly obnoxious during a serious conversation... like:

"Did you set fire to the entire football team?" The officer asked.
"Yup", he said, popping the 'p'.

But the thing is, you don't need to KNOW that he popped the 'p' to know that answering "yup" in that context is a little obnoxious. If he weren't being slightly obnoxious, he would have answered "yes, sir" or "yes, I did" or just simply "yes"... the very fact that he says "yup" conveys what the writer is trying to get across.

At least in my opinion.

[supernutjapan.livejournal.com]

agreed :)

[yalumesse]

So true :)