Role-play vs roleplay vs role play

[Fate Flyer]

This was something that I looked into awhile ago, as curiosity got the better of me, along with my desire to know which was accurate. I've seen RP used in those 3 different ways, and I wasn't sure which was right. So, this is what I found out, according to Wikipedia.

When spelled "roleplaying," it refers to the changing of one's behavior to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. It is also used for sexual roleplaying, in which partners take parts in a drama with a strong sexual theme.

Role-playing is used to describe the game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.

Role-play is a compound modifier. Compound modifiers are used in between two or more words that are describing something, so as to prevent confusion. Here are some examples:

• Long-term contract (not "long term contract", which would mean a long contract about a term)
  
• Hard-fought battle (hard-fought describes the battle)
  
• Better-educated individuals (better-educated describes the individuals)
  
• Science-fiction writers
  
• Man-eating shark
  
• One-way street
  
• Wild-goose chase (not "wild goose chase", which would mean a goose chase that was wild)

I think you get the idea now.

So, basically, role-playing is hyphenated, since it is describing the game. That is what I found out through my research.

[Lara]

Well, that's good to know, since it means I've been writing it wrong this whole time. I'll probably still write it as "roleplaying", though, just because I don't always feel like remembering the hyphen... (Which is an awful word to have to spell, for the record. My fingers get all twisted up.)

[Kathryn Lacey]

Okay... So... What does it mean whenever I type "role play" without either the hyphen or the combination of two words? Is it still correct to type it that way because that's the way I've been doing it for a long time.

[Dio the Awesome]

The obvious answer is no, and you're a terrible person for forgetting the hyphen.

>.>
<.<

I kid, I kid. I always spell it roleplay.

[Kesteven]

For some reason I've always felt that role-play has more of a sexual connotation, I guess because the hyphen makes it sound stilted and puts more emphasis on the 'play', whereas although what we do here IS play, I tend to think of it as more of a creative kind of play, like non-professional painting. I doubt anyone would call painting 'paint-play', or anything like that. I also don't think there's that much between the psychology thing and the game thing, except I suppose that we acknowledge it and don't identify too much with our characters or pretend they're real people.

Far be it from me to argue with wikipedia, though.

[Kathryn Lacey]

Oh yes. Wikipedia always has to be correct because it was written by professionals and not the average person.

/sarcasm
/lie

[Fluff]

When spelled "roleplaying," ... It is also used for sexual roleplaying, in which partners take parts in a drama with a strong sexual theme.

This is enough to explain my spelling.

[Dio the Awesome]

Yeah, but then there's cosplay.

There's regular cosplay, and then there's cosPLAY. I think what matters most is your being behind the word, not how it's spelled.

[Fluff]

Bwahaha, cosplay.

[Dio the Awesome]

D:

I cosplay...




Pic related, it's me as Spike Spiegel.

[Kathryn Lacey]

Interesting... I cosplayed as Magenta from The Rocky Horror Picture Show once. ^^_^^

[Ehoron]

I don't find that it matters too much. RP, roleplay, role-play, role play. It's all the same. All my friends assume this time of thing when I say "role play"

[Fluff]

I cosplayed as an idiot once. Everyone agreed that it was the best cosplay they'd ever seen.

[Kathryn Lacey]

Oh. So I guess you didn't really change anything for it?

[Fluff]

I did put lipstick on.

[vitamin_kitten]

I don't find that it matters too much. RP, roleplay, role-play, role play. It's all the same. All my friends assume this time of thing when I say "role play"

I'm gonna have to go with this. Generally, I just use RP, because it's easier to type, but for people who aren't familiar with RPing, I'll spell it out as roleplaying. Hyphens just take too much effort. D:

[Kathryn Lacey]

I don't like hyphens very much, so I just put a space between the two words.

[m00se4brainz]

Frankly I don't think it really matters either way. It's like spelling someone's name several different ways. Chris. Kris. Cris. Krys. Cristopher. Kristopher. Kristofer. Christofer.

Generally speaking it's all the same name no matter how you spell it. The same could be applied to RP. No matter the presence or absence of the hyphen, or if the term is slapped together to form one word or is separated into two... it still means the same thing. It's a common enough word that people still understand what you're talking about and the minor differences are, well, minor.

But if that's how it's really supposed to be spelled, oh well. I'm probably still going to spell it "wrong" anyway.

[Kathryn Lacey]

Well, I'm going to tell you that you're wrong about the name thing. Just because a name still sounds the same, doesn't mean it is the same. The differences in spelling are related to the culture that produces or adopts it, and I can tell you if you ever spell my name in any way other than K-A-T-H-R-Y-N, I'm going to pretend you weren't referring to me.

[m00se4brainz]

Aye. That's because you're human and you care about your identity and the name which comes with your person. Roleplaying/Role-playing/role playing/RP-ing, however, is not. It is not a person. It's a name to a type of game play. So while you are correct in a sense that just because a name is similar doesn't mean what it's labeling is the same, in the same sense, I'm not entirely incorrect either. We're not speaking about people. I only used it as an example.

[Kathryn Lacey]

Yes, but in the same way that the label is referring to a different identity, certain versions of role play identify different things.

You're just lucky it's not a living, breathing thing, or it would be offended at your blatant disregard for the proper spelling, and you know you don't want to offend something this big. ^o_~^

[Guest]

Either-or. I don't think it matters, but here's OED's take.

role playing
(also role play)

• noun the acting out of a particular role, either consciously (as a technique in psychotherapy or training) or unconsciously (in accordance with the perceived expectations of society).

Another definition I found had 'roleplay' in a theatrical context and 'role-play' in a psychological exercise context.

I bet there's no actual consensus on this one.

They don't use a dash, but then others do and some mash the word together, all within the academic community.

So, it sounds like it's pretty interchangable.

Addendum: I think Oxford is playing it safe and sitting on the fence, actually.

[Guest]

You're just lucky it's not a living, breathing thing, or it would be offended at your blatant disregard for the proper spelling, and you know you don't want to offend something this big. ^o_~^

But see, it would be offended at your own blatant disregard concerning the proper spelling of the word for you failing to look it up in the first place and assuming that your own spelling of it was correct.

[Kathryn Lacey]

Perhaps, but it was introduced to me as role playing. ^o_~^

[Guest]

I've used all three versions at one time or another, though role-playing always felt right to me. I think that's just because I tend to over-hyphenate

[Weiss]

Ehrm... I just felt the need to post here to clarify on the use of the hyphen for anyone that didn't truly assimilate the logic behind it into the subject at hand.

Role-playing game. Why? Because if you wrote it as "role playing game", it would mean "role" "playing game". In other words, this "role" would be "playing game". So, if you mean to say a game where you assume and play out a certain role, it would be role-playing game.

Roleplay on the other hand is a self-contained concept. It isn't a descriptor of another object or subject. As such, we don't role-play, we roleplay. Why? Simple, if you use role-play as a self-contained title for the practice of assuming character roles to act out a story, roleplay becomes a complete concept, not a descriptor, and therefore doesn't require the hyphen connecting two descriptors of another word.

So, we roleplay on a role-playing board. Or you could say that we roleplay on a roleplay board, where "roleplay" would be the defined concept, rather than the description of the board's purpose, concept, identity, etc. [Shrugs.] Simple as that.

Role play? Completely wrong unless you're using the words separately. I don't really know how to do that without being grammatically incorrect, though. If I did it while being grammatically incorrect, it would look something like the following:

My role played properly would undoubtedly result in a standing ovation.

[Kathryn Lacey]

It's not completely wrong. Just because your idea of the logic behind it makes sense to you, doesn't automatically mean that you're right. People tend to go with that which makes the most sense in their own minds. Just because you would read it as role playing-game doesn't mean everyone does. In fact, I've never met someone who did.

[Weiss]

Well, I was actually just explaining the logic based on proper English grammar, but... sure, we'll go with what you said.

[Sunni Ookami]

D:

I cosplay...




Pic related, it's me as Spike Spiegel.

[was tempted to put up "Sense: This picture makes none." picture up] Uhm... Spike had a prominent fro. And there is non-here. In fact, the only thing that makes the closest resemblance to Spike is the cig (yes, I am also saying that the outfit doesn't look very good). >_>; <_<; I cosplayed Inuyasha a few years back...

Anyways, I've always said role play because when I put roleplay I get that red underline that says I'm spelling it wrong (using FireFox). I didn't think there was a difference between any of them, didn't think someone thought it mattered so much as to make and put definitions on Wiki and thought that "sexual roleplaying" was called Cyber, smut role play, etc.

Really, I don't see the big deal in using any of the forms as long as the person you're talking to knows what you're talking about. I assume we're all on the same plain when we say whichever form. I mean, I've never had this situation:

Sunni: Maaaaaaaan, Ai soooooooo want to roleplay wright nao.
Friend: WUT? U MEAN, LIKE, IN A SECKSUAL WAY?
Sunni: WTF?! Wai wuld you say that?
Friend: Roleplay can mean secksual!
Sunni: Uhm, no. Let me refraze that. I meant role-play.
Friend: Oh. O:

[Kathryn Lacey]

Okay. I understand that, but just because it's wrong to say "role play game" doesn't mean using "role play" in general when not combined with another noun is incorrect.

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