Roger's Guide to the English Language

[Roger Davis]

Roger's Guide to the English Caprican Language

Originally this was just a joke in the c-box but after some serious requests that I go ahead and make one, here it is. I hope this comes off as a helpful guide to improve your writing and not just as me being pretentious.

I'm not an English major or anything of that sort, and I'm making this guide purely from what I know and what I've noticed in error around this and other RP boards. If you've caught something I missed then please feel free to PM it to me and it will get added. If I've made a mistake somewhere then again, PM me so it can be fixed. Thank you.


Contents:
1. Spelling
2. BSG-isms
3. Homophones, Homographs...

[Roger Davis]

1. Spelling

Use spell check. It's the easiest way to catch 90% of your mistakes, and there is no way a simple guide could suddenly teach you to spell. I'm a shitty speller myself, but I use spell check like it's nobody's business. Suddenly, when I'm online I look like a great speller but to my professors reading my exams I'm a barely functioning retard.

A lot of browsers have spell check built in (like Chrome and Firefox). If you don't have it working automatically then copy and paste into word or even something like an email draft in outlook or whatever you use. Spell check there and then copy and paste it back to the site. Presto! Spelling fixed!

If you're a dedicated RPer that's posting just from your phone or from some other device... well... you're fraked. Good luck with auto-correct if you've got it. Otherwise I advise carrying around a dictionary.


But seriously, if you don't have spell check and even if you do have it, nothing catches spelling errors like proofreading. I caught FIVE errors in this post with one proofread. If you've got the time then it can't hurt.

[Roger Davis]

2. BSG-isms

In the BSG universe, a lot of words are simply different from what they are in English. The English word simply does not exists and instead this made-up word is in its place. The basics of BSG language can be read here but they are all expanded upon below. A full list of terms and abbreviations can be found here.

BSM-isms:
1. Wireless-Radio
2. Fumarella-Tobacco
3. Frak-F@&#
4. Krypter-Mayday
5. Multi-planet words
6. Religion



1. Wireless-Radio
For all we know, the word "radio" does not exist in the BSG universe. When RPing BSG just remove that word from your mind. When proofreading your posts, scan for "radio" and replace it with "wireless".

This goes for all uses of the word. Any wireless communication is "wireless". The big communications systems of the Battlestar CIC, that console in the Raptor, the pilot's helmet communicator, a marine's portable radio... they are all called "wireless". The only thing that is not wireless is something hardwired like the ship-wide public address system although that too can be sent to other vessels through wireless.

It's talk-wireless instead of talk-radio, wireless operator instead of radio operator, wireless station instead of radio station, wireless waves instead of radio waves, etc.

You can still use words like "comms", "squawk box", etc. to refer to the wireless but you may never use the word "radio".


2. Fumarella-Tobacco
Like the radio, tobacco has been renamed. All uses of the word tobacco should be replaced with "Fumarella". You smoke Fumarella products. The Fumarella industry has incredible sway with politicians through lobbying. Fumarella gives you cancer. Farmers cultivate the Fumarella leaf.

You still call them cigarettes and cigars, and you can still refer to them as smokes, cigs, cancer sticks, fags, stogie, etc. You just can't call what's in them "tobacco".


3. Frak-F@&#
Everyone should know this one. The most versatile of curse words has been replaced in BSG. You actually don't have to worry about this one since the site has been set up to automatically turn every F-word into frak automatically.

Frak is still used in the same way though. So you've got: frak, fraker, fraking, and fraked. Frak you, frak me, frak my life, frak this, frak off, what the frak, motherfraker, fraked up, SNAFU (situation normal, all fraked up), SUSFU (situation unchanged, still fraked up), FUBAR (fraked up beyond all recognition), we're fraked, frak up, congratufrakinglations, play hide-and-go-frak-yourself, dumbfrak, frak that shit, frak all, what the frak, who gives a frak, shut the frak up, frakin' A, frak you up, for frak's sake, frak face, fraktard, frakwit... I could go on but I'll stop there.


4. Krypter-Mayday
Doesn't come up all too often, but this is another replacement. When preceding a distress call, it's "Krypter" not "Mayday". It's still used EXACTLY the same way mayday is (said three times in quick succession, etc.). Send this message out over the wireless followed by your relevant info if you're going down and need rescue.


5. Multi-planet words
This is a hard category to catch and can also be difficult to correct once it is caught. First and foremost, there is no "Earth" other than the legends about the Thirteenth Tribe. Humanity also lives on over twelve worlds rather than merely one world. Therefore, there are a whole slew of words which simply don't make sense to say.

• Earth - Whether you're talking about the planet itself (probably not) or merely talking about it in the sense as you reached down and got a fistful of Earth/dirt then you're not making any sense since you're not on Earth.
  
• World - Often times you can use the singular but "world" is no longer the all-encompassing word it is for us. "Where in the world", "the whole world", "worldwide", etc. are all certainly words/phrases and mean something. They just don't mean what you want them to mean. Make world into worlds and stick it back in. E.g. "It's not like the worlds are going to end if I sleep in today."
  
• Terra - Terra is the Latin word for Earth and thus also shouldn't be used outside of discussions specifically of Earth. Therefore words and phrases like terra firma, terra incognita, terraforming, etc. are inappropriate. Instead use "kobolforming" for terraforming and for the others, well, just use plain language instead of being fancy.

6. Religion
The predominant religions in BSG are polytheistic, primarily the Greek Pantheon. There are various other polytheistic cults as well as monotheistic religious groups and certainly atheists and agnostics too (more on religion in BSG can be read here).

Therefore, most everything needs to be changed to polytheistic terms. God becomes gods. Hell becomes Hades. Etc. It's not all too difficult to do if you're in the right frame of mind. If you know mythology and want to slip in names of specific gods or little bits of various stories or mythical locations like Styx or Sisyphus then go for it. It makes your posts more full, and when else are you going to be able to apply that knowledge?

Keep in mind though that BSG is still not set on Earth. Somethings you don't have to worry about at all because it's all about gods fighting each other on random mountains. Other things might be a little dicey since specific locations are named in the stories (e.g. Sisyphus was a mythical early king of Corinth) but so long as you keep out those specifics we can sweep it under the rug and say that the story itself is originally of BSG origins and was transplanted into Earth's mythology along with everything else. Names were changed, etc. to fit the times.

On that note though, monotheist characters really need to watch out. Yes, you can use singular "God" and even quote some biblical verses. But again, this all occurs many thousands of years ago across the stars. Your Bible verses are good so long as they don't mention specific people or places (and don't quote the actual verse citation since the Bible hasn't been written yet). Like the polytheistic ties, these are ideas that have survived throughout the ages and tie into the recurring theme of Eternal Return that is prevalent throughout the series.

But there is no Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, etc. so keep them out of whatever monotheistic post you've got cooked up. Also keep them out of your dialogue. There should be no "Jesus Christ!"s or "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!"s in character.

[Roger Davis]

3. Homophones, Homographs...
... Heterographs, Homonyms, Heteronyms

You don't need to know what any of those words actually mean. Basically, this section is dedicated to words that aren't goingto be caught on spell check because they're not misspelled, they're just misused. They might sound similar or identical to each other or the reverse where they might be spelled the same but sound completely. Whatever it is, they're not the same word and are not interchangeable. Below are the big ones I've noticed around here.


Contents
1. Are - Our
2. Hull - Hole - Whole
3. Its - It's
4. Lead - Lead - Led
5. Then - Than
6. They're - Their - There
7. To - Too - Two


1. Are - Our
The easiest one on the list and easily the rarest of errors.

Are is a present form of the verb "to be". E.g. You are tired of reading this guide.

Our is the first person plural possessive pronoun. E.g. Our writing is going to improve now that we're reading this.


2. Hull - Hole - Whole
One person made this mistake in a thread and then suddenly at least three different players with at least four different characters in about ten different posts all quickly made the same mistake too.

Hull is the outer body/frame of a ship, in our case it is Hyperion's armor that separates the crew from the vacuum of space as well as nasty stuff like Raider fire and space debris. E.g. The ship's hull is taking heavy enemy fire. One more nuke like that and we'll be done for!

Hole is an opening. You have holes in your shirts where buttons go through, holes in the ground where you bury things, and maybe even a hole in the ship which would be a hole in the hull. E.g. The Viper's hard impact left a deep hole on the surface of Tauron.

Whole means completeness, an undivided nature. E.g. I was here reading your guide the whole time.


3. Its - It's
One of the easier conjunction mix ups, but this one still requires a bit of explanation.

Its is the third person singular possessive pronoun. E.g. After taking a direct hit, its engines cut out and the Raptor fell from the sky.

It's is a conjunction of "it" and "is". Despite having an apostrophe s ('s) this is not the version that denotes possession. It is a combination of the pronoun "it" and the verb "to be". E.g. It's taking forever to get through this guide. I hope it's worth it.


4. Lead - Lead - Led
Oh my God! This can be a hard one to catch when you're writing but for a fresh set of eyes reading your post these scream out at you. It's made all the worse because there are three here with number 1 sounding like number 3 but being spelled like number 2. Yikes!

Lead (rhymes with "Bed") is a soft metal that used to be used in pencils and is currently still used in bullets and many other things both IRL and also in BSG. E.g. I hope I don't get lead poisoning from this alloy the Vipers are made of.

Lead (rhymes with "Deed") is a present tense verb and also a noun. E.g. I'll take the lead and lead us out of danger.

Led (also rhymes with "Bed") is the past tense of the above verb. E.g. You led us all the way here and we're no better than when we started!


5. Then - Than
I don't even think they bother teaching this in school. I was old enough to drive, vote, and drink by the time I figured this one out.

Then is used with regards to time, when something follows something else. E.g. Chris got punched by Vik then they had sex... fade to bagel.

Than is used to make comparisons. E.g. This guide is more boring than the one about cubits.


6. They're - Their - There
Here's one they actually do attempt to teach (at least where I went to school). When writing quickly I mix them up sometimes myself, but do try and get them right. (Un)Fortunately all three sounds alike but have different spellings and meanings (more than can be said for lead, lead, and led).

They're is a conjunction of the third person plural pronoun "they" and the associated third person plural form of the verb "to be", which of course is "are". E.g. You did what to the White Tigers? They're not going to like this.

Their is a possessive pronoun like his, her, its, my, our, your, etc. Their is only different in that it is third person plural. E.g. I've been to their planet... it sucks!

There has many uses from adverb to exclamation. It generally denotes location. E.g. The enemy is over there.


7. To - Too - Two
This one is almost as easy as are and our but for completeness, let's cover it too.

To can be a preposition or an infinitive (helping verb). E.g. We're going to kill some toasters once we get to Caprica.

Too means in addition or to a higher level or degree that something else. E.g. You and Sam are flying CAP? Well then I'm coming too. I can't let you guys get too many kills now, can I?

Two is simply the number 2. E.g. I shot down two Cylon Raiders while out on CAP with Sam and Tati.