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

[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 :)