So, I've been reading Pattern Recognition, and I've noticed that Gibson writes with what I perceive to be a British tone, with British vernacular - "bin it" rather than "throw it away," "come round" instead of "stop by" or "go over," casual use of the often-still-forbidden-in-America "C-word", stuff like that. However, he is apparently from Vancouver. Is he affecting a British tone because it's set in London, or do Canadians speak/write more British than American? It seems a really silly/trivial question, but it's been bothering me and I'm supercurious now.
language in Pattern Recongition
By dreamfall17 - Posted on 18 April 2008 - 7:53pm.
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Unless someone has greater insight than I do (in which case, please correct me), I think that the language difference really is a function of his upbringing. He apparently moved around a lot growing up, and settled in Vancouver; it's fair to assume that many of the schools he attended were international schools (which tend to teach the queen's English), and settling in a British Commonwealth city would have only accentuated his use of the British vernacular.