Yesterday I was reading keithsnyder from 2005/2006. Besides having adorable twins, he wrote about how we speak in past tense. He made the statement that people tend to use the present tense even when speaking about past events - example: "So, yesterday I go to the bank and the teller says..." I think that this type of conversation is generationally and educationally (is that a word?) influenced. I am older-50's, and I was very well trained to speak and write in the correct tense. The sentence above is said "so, yesterday I went to the bank and the teller said..." When my children were in their teens and started the street talk, I enforced the same speaking rule. As I told them then, "I don't care how you speak with your friends, but when you are with me or talking to an adult or person in authority, YOU WILL use proper English!" Even now when DD is 26 (yikes where did time go?) she will use one type of speech with her friends and another with everyone else. At least around me and even when she is upset with me. So, Keith, I would argue that how your characters speak with each other depends on age, education and even race/nationality. There is a reason why Mafia males are characterized a certain way in film-hang around some and the characterization is not far off. I know that the topic is old, but it struck me as something that any writer has to take into account. Writing reflects the generation that is being written about.

Another note, I am going to have to stop writing on this at work, I get involved with everyone's post after I write and then I don't want to go back to work!!