Purpose:
An author might use the term “dialect” as a powerful tool which can allow their characters to come to life and connect with the reader. Dialect, when paired with accent, can work to distinguish one character’s way of enunciating/speaking from another character. Dialect and accent can also inform the reader of the origin, social class, or cultural background of a character, affecting the character by granting them more depth and complexity than compared to surface based descriptions. A situation in which dialect (eye dialect = nonstandard spelling/phrases in writing) might be helpful toward an author is when they are attempting to convey to the reader that a certain character has speech patterns that differ from those around them. Eye dialect, although it usually relies on stereotypes which are looked down upon, can be used to aid the author in achieving their goal by clueing the audience in on where a character was raised, how many languages they speak, or their level of (reading/writing) education.
Steps for Analysis:
Identify which words use dialect (can be distinguished through vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar)
The words/phrases most likely make up the dialect of the group/character being written about
Know what the words mean in the sentence (which words contribute to the dialect of a certain character and what they mean when broken down)
Identify the distinctions between the language and dialect being used by a specific character (who is being analyzed).
Language:
Written in addition to being spoken
An umbrella term for all of the dialects (of English)
(Ex: English, Spanish, & Chinese languages)
Dialect:
Spoken (not written)
Includes pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary used by people within a group
(Ex: regional dialect *associated with a particular region*, ethnic dialect *associated with a particular ethnic group*)
Identify the cultural background, occupation, social class, and origin of the character (with the identifiable dialect).
Understand how the dialect contributes to the situation at hand
What purpose does the dialect being used serve? (to the author/audience)
What is occurring when the dialect is being used?
Example from Life On The Mississippi By Mark Twain:
'Why don't you tell something that you've seen yourselves? Now let me have a say. Five years ago I was on a raft as big as this, and right along here it was a bright moonshiny night, and I was on watch and boss of the stabboard oar forrard, and one of my pards was a man named Dick Allbright, and he come along to where I was sitting, forrard—gaping and stretching, he was—and stooped down on the edge of the raft and washed his face in the river, and come and set down by me and got out his pipe, and had just got it filled, when he looks up and says—
'“Why looky-here,” he says, “ain't that Buck Miller's place, over yander in the bend.”
'“Yes,” says I, “it is—why.” He laid his pipe down and leant his head on his hand, and says—
'“I thought we'd be furder down.”
Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. Project Gutenberg, 2006, www.gutenberg.org/files/245/245-h/245-h.htm. Accessed 7 Sept. 2022.
Analysis of Passage:
The informal pattern of speech which contains several grammatically incorrect words outlined in the underlined sentence hints to the reader that it is an example of dialect within a quote. Unlike standard English, which is uniform with respect to vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and pronunciation, the quote contains unusual phrases such as “ain’t that,” and “over yander,” which are widely regarded as a category of dialect which uses distinct vocabulary as well as its own grammatical forms. Oftentimes, such as in this case, varying geographical locations with their own accents form slang which can become commonly used. When breaking down the English language contraction, “ain’t” can change shape to mean “am not.” The second piece of dialect, “over yander,” which is most recognizably written as “over yonder,” can be used to refer to someone or something that is distant yet within sight. Contractions and misspelled words, as demonstrated by “ain’t” and “over yonder,” are major hints toward the reader that a specific dialect has been implemented into the writing style of the author or speaking style of the character.
While the overall language being spoken by the character is English, the dialect takes a more specific approach because it traces the origins of the unique pronunciation within the phrases. Although “ain’t” is often frowned upon in formal writing and considered “bad” English, the contraction was once a respectable word used by Victorian lords and ladies in their colloquial language. While the phrase “over yander” has less negative connotations attached to it than “ain’t,” the phrase has been altered overtime and has historically been prominent in more southern areas and rural cultures. “Over yander,” most commonly written as “over yonder,” originated from the Dutch word “ginder,” meaning “over there.” Within the context of the entire quote, “ain’t” and “over yander” were spoken by a person who originated from the south, who ranked low in society, and had little access to high quality studies of language. The dialect serves an important purpose in the quote, which is to let the reader know the character’s place of origin as well as their social and cultural characteristics.
Stella M