----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 8:51
AM
Subject: [PWA-L] It's quiet on the
list...
...so let's talk about every mystery writer's favorite subject:
the water of life.
Here are a a couple of extracts from a
historical fiction newsgroup:
"Just a small point. I've noticed in
American novels that whiskey is referred to when they really mean whisky. The
terms are patented, like champagne, which is why some American rye based
drinks are called bourbon.
Whisky is from Scotland, and whiskey is from
Ireland."
and
" If
you're writing a book set in the UK, don't have your characters drink whisky
before the Regency era (unless, of course, they're Scottish!) and don't ever
confuse whiskey with whisky. It is Just Not Done, darling!"
(My
10 pound Webster's offers both spellings for the same definition, with '"ey"
as the preferred spelling.)
Anyone else ever heard of this Scots/Irish
distinction? Does it matter to an American writer, writing for an
American audience? Or, is it one of those things that add verisimilitude
-- such as not letting an Englishman say "gotten"?
Slàinte!
kent
graham