Friday’s strip is late because I sort of thew my back out. Woke up Sunday morning feeling relatively healthy! Hurray!
Also: Skeg means look. I’m kind of unsure of the usage, so if anyone reading that speaks Tyke, please let me know. I hear “skeg” is mostly a noun and here I use it as a verb.
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August 30th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
This comic is wonderful but… can Maria STOP talking like that? For us non-English/Swedish speakers is a torture!!! Ok, reading Anders’ lines is not so hard to figure out what she says, but still…
August 30th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
it’s a picture of Anders naked…
August 30th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Now i want to see too. Darn you.
August 30th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
I’m so curious as to what it is now!
And I like how Maria is just callin’ him an asshole even though he complimented her work. </3
The only thing that bothers me in this is that it starts with her holding it, with the frame, but in the second panel the frame temporarily disappears. Then it returns in the rest of it.
August 30th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
D’awwwww, why must these two be so cute together? <3
August 30th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
“neyow cheek”? for the life of me, i can’t figure what she’s saying..
Loving this comic though, came through QC and now i’m a regular..
i’m a bit ambivalent about Anders, but i so enjoy seeing him suffer
August 30th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
ahhhhahaha! thats squishy!
August 30th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I don’t understand what shes saying sometimes DX the accent thing is gettng a little confusing.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
The panel progression here is just wonderful, totally helps build the tension
August 30th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
What is ‘neyow cheek’?
August 30th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Arilynn-
‘None of your cheek’ i.e Don’t be cheeky
August 30th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I don’t know about the use of “skeg”. In my family we’d say “snek” (which means sneak a look), it’s a word my mother made up and we use to the bewilderment to outsiders of the family
Skeg (to us) is more “you’re a skeg” as in “you’re a bit revolting”. Skeg and steg are interchangeable, they both mean much the same thing
Seeing as I come from Lincolnshire – which is right next door to Yorkshire, from where you say you derived Maria’s accent – I hope that provides a little useful insight for you.
Also – I’ve never had any difficulties reading Maria’s speech and find it interesting to see how she reverts to a stronger dialect after she’s spent the afternoon painting. In the last couple of strips she seemed almost normal and that was really neat, I like the variation, it adds realism to the story. I just wish we’d seen more of it in earlier strips – maybe then people would be more accepting of it
It’s great to see this backstory, I’ve been really enjoying this too, and can’t wait to see what happens with everything else. Something that a lot of writers don’t do is go back and create their characters’ relationships so it’s great to see you doing that and it explains a lot about the “present” story arc. I can’t wait to see the rest of this played out
August 30th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Also Crystal – it’s canvas. Canvas folds over a wooden frame
So that’s probably what Rene’s demonstrating here – the wooden backframe.
August 30th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
the frame disappears because shhes looking at the front of the canvas. if you check out canvases at an art spuuly store.. you’ll see that the canvas is stretched over the frame.. so you can see the internal frame from the back, but not the front.
I like marias accent. It makes it more real that shes from the north and HAS a funny accent. for saying you don’t speak english, you seem to type it very well.. unless you’re talking about “england english” in which case, you’re just being picky. this comic is awesome. enjoy it as it is, and stop complaining. yeesh.
Awesome job, rene. now I can’t wait to see that painting!
August 30th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I admit that the way the accents are written slows me down. There are more subtle ways to write out an accent and have the reader still understand.
Steinbeck did a good job of that when he wrote about uneducated migrant workers. It was accented but still readable.
August 30th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Well, while I have nothing against Maria’s accent, I really can’t understand most of what she’s saying in this strip. Could somebody please translate to normal english? I’m not a native english speaker so I figure that’s why I can’t understand the written accent.
August 30th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Crystal-
the frame doesn’t disappear; it’s not necessarily a “frame” in the typical sense of the word, so much as something that the canvas goes on to keep it taut while painting. Which means it isn’t visible from the side where you see the painting, which is the side you see in the second panel
August 31st, 2009 at 12:17 am
Man, I spent a minute trying to figure out skeg, then I read your post!
I can’t decide if I want to see the picture or not… maybe just a description would suffice, just to keep the mystique behind the painting.
August 31st, 2009 at 12:19 am
I have absolutely no problem understanding Maria’s accent/dialect.
For anyone having trouble understanding:
2) Aye I’m done. Don’t skeg!
3) Alright, but no cheek! (cheek meaning “teasing,” ie, ‘being cheeky’)
5) Alright! Give it here, arsehole!
August 31st, 2009 at 12:34 am
“Aye, I’m done. Don’t skeg!”
“Alright, but no cheek!” (Cheek as in cheekiness. Essentially asking him not to make fun of her or her painting)
“Alright! Give it here, asshole!”
August 31st, 2009 at 12:49 am
I have to say that Maria’s accent is just adorable. I love how Ander’s compliments her but she just take sit as him being cheeky.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:16 am
Crystal, that’s not a frame, it’s the back of the canvas.
I think this is super cute!
August 31st, 2009 at 1:30 am
Neeyow cheek was “none of your cheek” I believe. Xlent strip.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:48 am
I personally love the accent.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:02 am
I like the accent, it gives the comic a lot of flavor.
J., 1/4 Jämtlander, all American
August 31st, 2009 at 2:10 am
rgkldfhklhjl <3<3<3
August 31st, 2009 at 2:39 am
“orl roeight”?! jesus christ thats one hell of an accent
August 31st, 2009 at 2:49 am
Maria’s accent seems to go into overdrive when she’s nervous.
I, personally, love her accent and think it gives her more depth as a person.It also shows how much she’s changed over time.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:56 am
Skeg is Australia is a noun, and an insult.
If you call someone a skeg, it has similar connitations as you calling them scum.
Gotta love language differences.
August 31st, 2009 at 5:26 am
I can’t wait to see what she painted.
And I was wondering…. What happened to the little fruit salad? Has it been aborted yet?
August 31st, 2009 at 8:53 am
LOVE her accent…
She’s so adorable here!
(I feel the same way showing things off to people!)
August 31st, 2009 at 8:58 am
I love this comic. As I’ve previously commented, I can read her accent, but it takes a few. In this one, though, where there’s tension/excitement/stress [over the reception of her painting] where her speech becomes stronger, would it be too much to ask for maybe a little translation to plain speech below the panels or something?
I love love love this comic, but it is pretty awkward to feel almost like I need a decoder ring to read what is my native tongue, just butchered to fit her accent. By all means, keep it if that suits you. It adds another dimension to Maria’s character, but with the size/length of the panels, it shouldn’t take much more than a minute or two to read..
August 31st, 2009 at 10:22 am
I’ve always wondered at the nature of the comments here. The one strain is comments about the characters – judging them, reviewing their behaviour, calling favourites and so on. The other strain is judging the comic, the drawings, the storyline, the language… I’ve never felt the desire to do either.
As a story, it compels me to imagine and feel empathy, but it’s not a soap opera to me. It’s more serious and so – just as I couldn’t imagine dividing friends and relatives into favourites and pets – neither do I want to with any of the people we meet here.
And about judging the work… I feel it’s put forth for free by an artist sharing her vision. That doesn’t really entitle me to an opinion. If she asks it, fine – but I can’t help but feel it’s either conceit or ingratitude to critique it.
Instruct me differently if you think I’m wrong
August 31st, 2009 at 10:35 am
love the comic.
though for the life of me i cann’t figure out what ‘doannt skeg’ means.. (no offence) us Aussie’s have a pertty flat language overall.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:57 am
Hey. Read this stuff all the time. Got my best friend into it too. Please stop putting in Maria’s accent. It’s tough to read. I didn’t get the punchline at all. I would hate to stop reading it because I can’t understand it.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:55 am
Love the comic~ But yes, the accent is annoying! XD And I am an english speaker! You’re almost done with this flashback of her speaking bad, maybe?
August 31st, 2009 at 11:57 am
P.S. If you read her accent aloud, you can usually hear the words.
August 31st, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Concreteelephant… That’s a “Blackadder” reference, isn’t it?
August 31st, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I love this comic; I love the accent; I love the art.
Using context, it’s easy enough to figure out what Maria is saying; I figured that skeg meant look (or something similar) just by Anders following line.
I also find it to be extremely disrespectful to Rene for all of you who keep commenting on how awful the accent is. She’s an artist, this is how she wishes to portray Maria, that’s her prerogative.
Keep up the good work, Rene, I’m so glad this comic is back to a regular schedule; I just LOVE it!
August 31st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Arrrrr… Aye! Maria’s pretty annoying by now.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Anyone remember the “Boy meets girl” sketch in the archives? The one with Maria painting Mario, Anders making her a Nintendo cake, and so forth?
I feel like that’s what she may have painted.
August 31st, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I’m really enjoying her accent! Makes me giggle, but not in the condescending way of course. You’re writing the dialogue very well, I can imagine it and it’s easy to read
August 31st, 2009 at 4:30 pm
while I have not had a position one way or the other on the dialect, today I had no idea what Maria was saying. I had to look to the comments to figure it out, and it is very difficult.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Skegg is the icelandic word for beard … *shrugs*
August 31st, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I usually mostly like the accent, but I have to be honest…I had NO IDEA what Maria was saying in this strip at all.
August 31st, 2009 at 5:00 pm
maybe this is da painting :
http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com/2009/06/19/guest-comic-sofia-falkenhem/
to “sarah” what ““Boy meets girl” sketch”?
i really curious now but i cant find it
August 31st, 2009 at 5:50 pm
As someone who isn’t Swedish- I find the accent a real treat. I might be abit late in saying this, but once you get over the first bit of confusion over what is being said- I adore the spin it gves on Maria.
This has got to be my favourite comic so far- they are well and truly a very cute couple.
August 31st, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Wow, I really wish people would stop with the criticism on Maria’s accent. This is Rene’s comic. And asking her to not write in Maria’s accent is the equivalent of telling Picasso to stop painting blue paintings because you are bored with blue. Get over it. Besides, just like everyone is doing, we can ask what she is saying and someone will happily translate it for us that do not understand clearly.
For my real first comment on ALM, I’d like to say that I am really enjoying this comic. I think I linked over from QC, not sure any more. I know a lot of people complain about Anders being a dumb head, but I still have sympathy for him. Like a lot of us, he’s an adult that has a lot of growing up to do still. And it’s nice to see him at this age where things seem a lot less complicated for him
August 31st, 2009 at 6:08 pm
“it’s a picture of Anders naked…”
hahahhahahahha!!! Love it!
August 31st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
das-
this is the comic that Sarah meant: http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com/2007/07/11/2007-07-11/
August 31st, 2009 at 7:09 pm
thanx Squeaker!
August 31st, 2009 at 7:15 pm
The Mario painting she painted in that comic was the one she punched a hole through and Bjorn painted a vagina on and submitted to the school. I doubt she’s painting it again!
August 31st, 2009 at 7:21 pm
i wanna see i wanna see ^-^
August 31st, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I agree that I couldn’t figure out most of what Maria was saying here. Thanks for the translation odell and Trella. I didn’t have nearly as much trouble on earlier days though, so take that for what it’s worth. No need to ditch the accent entirely.
August 31st, 2009 at 7:46 pm
maria’s accent slows me down a bit too and i have many english friends with difficult accents and mannerisms, but in general i can understand the gist of what she says. i read skeg as an insult, as in “don’t be a jerk.” telling anders not to look makes more sense in the scene but the word itself is a bit confusing.
i love how the story is playing out and your drawing and colors are so fabulous right now. it is wonderful.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:12 pm
As much as I love Anders loves Maria, I really am having a hard time, not to mention, a not too fun time, trying to read Maria’s lines…
August 31st, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I really love Maria’s accent. I think it adds a lot to her character and really helps put her northern roots in your face the entire time. I have to admit I find myself reading her lines aloud to get the feel/sound of some of them, but it definitely adds a lot. Thanks Rene!
August 31st, 2009 at 10:41 pm
While the Mario-as-Mona-Lisa painting IS the one she put the hole through, her agreement with the committee was that she could redo her painting. Sofi mentions Maria redoing the painting as well at the coffee shop. From the sketch she’s started in comic 265, it seems as though that’s exactly what she’s painting.
Also, I adore the accent.
September 15th, 2009 at 3:32 am
I HATE her accent. Its rilly rilly like totally annoying. Its like almost as totally annoying as if I were to like start spikking in Val-speak all the time, like y’know? So puhleeze knock it off already or whatever. Seriously, I mean I used to like totally enjoy this ‘toon but now its an agony to read and dude – just let it drop already. Totally, gag me seriously like bag the accent mmmmkay?
September 16th, 2009 at 11:16 am
The difference bein’; a nice north of England accent’s lovely whereas Valley Girls are unbearable.
Ah have this difficulty maself when ah’m tryin’ tae write Scots. Normally it’s best tae jus’ change the odd wurd jus’ a little an’ the rest can be picked oot frae context. Spellin’ a word like don’t “doannt” isnae a good idea. Also she’s probably more likely to have said “away and fuck off!” in that context.