Sally Manton wrote:
Actually, I don't think Vila is that much more colloquial than an average person (it's just the company he keeps, and I do mean Mr Ultra-Precise). He's a *bit* more relaxed in a vocab than, say, Blake, and it's enhanced by the way MK actually speaks, but the differences between grades don't seem to be all that great to me.
It always grates if I see Vila saying 'innit' or some such thing in fanfic, or speaking in a dialect. He does say 'meself' or 'me' instead of 'my' a couple of times; that's about it.
But one way Vila is different is the unusual amount of colour and contrast in his words, the bright, playful and varied way he uses them (things like getting the dignified hell out of here) that contrasts with Avon's precision, Blake's layered, careless perfection and Cally's stiffness.
Vila has an excellent vocabulary - he's afraid of the dark "only when it's unilluminated" - hardly as ignorant as the others suppose.
Vila likes words as much as Avon does, it's part of what makes their relationship work. I wouldn't be surprised if Vila enjoys reading in his spare time, he certainly has a far greater gift for and skill with words than most of the rest of them, including the possible-Alphas Jenna, Dayna, and Tarrant ...
Hey, thanks for the confirmation! I've made Vila an avid reader in my fiction, very disconcerting to Avon and Tarrant as it doesn't fit the category they've put him in. I see him as having no formal education (and that pretty basic) past 11 or 12, but self-educated in the things which interest him. As proof, at least twice in the series he says he "likes stories" so I bet he enjoys escapist fiction!
Nico
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