I need a word

efreysson · Oct 18, 2014

Still working on translating my fantasy novel into English.

I feel a bit silly starting a thread just because of one word in one sentence, but it's kind of important for my protagonist and her mindset so here goes:

She is one of rare individuals born with mystical powers for battling otherworldly forces, and a matching mentality. She doesn't feel trauma over violence or regret over killing the way normal humans do, and feels a constant need for adventure and danger.

She worries a bit about how this separates her from normal humanity in spirit. The line I have is

"Do I have any X with normal people?"

I originally put "commonality" there as the closest equivalent to the Icelandic word I could think of, but I'm not sure if it gets across what I had in mind.

Thoughts?

Bufty · Oct 18, 2014

Similarity to...

Empathy with ...?

Connection with...?

Really depends on context and the direction of the conversation or thought process. It is in dialogue, isn't it?

alleycat · Oct 18, 2014

This isn't the question you asked, but feel trauma is a bit odd.

You could make it something like: She doesn't experience any guilt about violence or killing the way normal humans do . . .

alleycat · Oct 18, 2014

For your question, besides Bufty's suggestions, there's humanity (if that would work).

"Do I share any humanity with normal people?"

efreysson · Oct 18, 2014

Bufty said:
Similarity to...

Empathy with ...?

Connection with...?

Really depends on context and the direction of the conversation or thought process. It is in dialogue, isn't it?

Yes, the full line is:

“I-” She hadn't thought about this deeply enough before to have the words ready. “I can't help but... wonder if I-” She sighed. Was she just talking nonsense? “I mean I don't seem to think like most people. And I don't know whether I should try to or what. And if I don't, do I have any commonality with normal people?”

alleycat · Oct 18, 2014

You could make it anything in common. I don't know your character's voice but that's the way most people would say it.

robjvargas · Oct 18, 2014

efreysson said:
Yes, the full line is:

“I-” She hadn't thought about this deeply enough before to have the words ready. “I can't help but... wonder if I-” She sighed. Was she just talking nonsense? “I mean I don't seem to think like most people. And I don't know whether I should try to or what. And if I don't, do I have any commonality with normal people?”

You know, the final sentence can be reworded to be more intense. "If I don't try, am I even human?"

What if she not only feels different, she feels... alien?

King Neptune · Oct 18, 2014

I agree with Alley. It would commonly be said as "anything in common with. . . "

cat_named_easter · Nov 1, 2014

Affinity.

CathleenT · Nov 2, 2014

Another vote for Alleycat's solution. That's the first thing I thought of when I read your example.

Pyekett · Nov 2, 2014

cat_named_easter said:
Affinity.

I also was thinking "affinity," but I agree alleycat's solution would work.

efreysson · Nov 23, 2014

Hello again. I'm doing the final touch-up on the manuscript and I could use advice for a few more English words. I decided to just add to this thread rather than start a new one.

*I need to sum up a dangerous act of last resort. A sorcerer under attack summons demons without any of the usual precautions. In the original dialogue the protagonist sees what he's up to and thinks "this is a X manoeuvre". What is the natural English way of describing something like that?

*I'm wondering if "chapter" is a proper word for what I have in mind for something else. There is this secret society spread over the world, seemingly ordinary people with ordinary lives who get up to some cloak-and-dagger stuff. There is no central authority, just local leaders who give general guidance and communicate with other leaders so the society can have a clear picture. I'm wondering what to call separate parts of this society.

"Gang" doesn't seem right, they're not sorcerers so I can't use "coven" and I'm not sure about "cell". That leaves me with "chapter". Does it work?

Chase · Nov 23, 2014

My two cents:

efreysson said:
I need to sum up a dangerous act of last resort. A sorcerer under attack summons demons without any of the usual precautions. In the original dialogue the protagonist sees what he's up to and thinks "this is a X manoeuvre". What is the natural English way of describing something like that?

This is a risky maneuver.

The maneuver is hazardous.

It's a high-risk maneuver.

efreysson said:
*I'm wondering if "chapter" is a proper word for what I have in mind for something else. There is this secret society spread over the world, seemingly ordinary people with ordinary lives who get up to some cloak-and-dagger stuff. There is no central authority, just local leaders who give general guidance and communicate with other leaders so the society can have a clear picture. I'm wondering what to call separate parts of this society.

"Gang" doesn't seem right, they're not sorcerers so I can't use "coven" and I'm not sure about "cell". That leaves me with "chapter". Does it work?

Chapter is okay. I belong to the Montana chapter of Sigma Nu.

What about "association"? Affiliation? Order? Guild? Society?

King Neptune · Nov 23, 2014

efreysson said:
*I'm wondering if "chapter" is a proper word for what I have in mind for something else. There is this secret society spread over the world, seemingly ordinary people with ordinary lives who get up to some cloak-and-dagger stuff. There is no central authority, just local leaders who give general guidance and communicate with other leaders so the society can have a clear picture. I'm wondering what to call separate parts of this society.

"Gang" doesn't seem right, they're not sorcerers so I can't use "coven" and I'm not sure about "cell". That leaves me with "chapter". Does it work?

"Chapter" works, but it assumes a local branch of a larger organization. Witches have "covens" which are local groups of associates, and they do not have a larger association; although they communicate among covens and have essentially identical beliefs.

DavidMivshek · Nov 24, 2014

Faction

blacbird · Nov 24, 2014

In reference to your original question, I think "commonality" works fine.

caw

WWWalt · Nov 28, 2014

efreysson said:
the protagonist sees what he's up to and thinks "this is a X manoeuvre".

I'd use "desperate," or plug that into a thesaurus and see if I liked any of its suggestions better. To me, that carries the "last-ditch" sense that is missing from the other suggestions in this thread. On its own, the word doesn't carry as much of the "dangerous" sense, but my assumption is that the context will make it obvious that the situation is dangerous, and that the desperation is what you need to highlight in that sentence.

I'm not sure about "cell".

What's your uncertainty about it? It seems to me to come closest to what you're describing.

Jamesaritchie · Nov 28, 2014

"Anything in common" would be my choice, but her feelings about violence and killing probably make her a sociopath, so the answer would be, "Not much".

WriteMinded · Nov 29, 2014

efreysson said:
She worries a bit about how this separates her from normal humanity in spirit. The line I have is

"Do I have any X with normal people?"

Thoughts?

"Do I have anything in common with normal people?"

Mark Thompson · Dec 2, 2014

"I...I...” She ground to a halt, tongue-tied. She hadn't considered the matter in sufficiently depth to come up with a ready explanation. “I can't help it but I...well ,I sometimes wonder if...” She bit her lip, worried she might be talking nonsense. “What I'm trying to say is, I don't think like most people and I'm not even sure I want to. I don't feel like them.My problem is, I can't relate to the way they think. Is that down to me or them? I've no idea.”

Or summat like that. It's a groovy little snippet (sorry for messing with it)

Quilliam · Jan 4, 2015

And If I don't, do normal people mean anything at all to me?

I need a word

efreysson

Closer than ever

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

alleycat

Still around

alleycat

Still around

efreysson

Closer than ever

alleycat

Still around

robjvargas

King Neptune

cat_named_easter

CathleenT

I write

Pyekett

I need no hot / Words.

efreysson

Closer than ever

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

King Neptune

DavidMivshek

is hacking God's mind for fun :)

blacbird

WWWalt

Jamesaritchie

WriteMinded

Derailed

Mark Thompson

Quilliam