When writing dialog for a character who speaks with an accent or dialect, the question always comes up – do you spell their quirks of speech phonetically (“Oy, ‘ow loverly that ‘oman be!”) or merely mention the accent and then go on to write their dialog in plain English?
For myself, I don’t mind phonetically specific written dialog. In fact I quite like it. If it’s done well, I find it enriches the story and helps me visualize the character even better. On the other hand, some writers find it hard to write, and more importantly some readers find it off-putting.
I’m a big fan of accents and dialects. For example, I loved that the dwarves in The Lord of the Rings spoke in a Scottish brogue, that the elves spoke in highbrow English accents, and the orcs had working-class Cockney accents. It made the whole movie so much more fun to watch. But as accomplished a linguist as Tolkien was, the books weren’t written that way, and they were just as enjoyable to read.
The problem is, once you start down the road of spelling a character’s accent phonetically, not only do you need to remain consistent, but you’d better have a pretty solid idea of what the accent you are trying to show sounds like, so your spelling gives a true representation of it and doesn’t throw readers out of the story with jarring inaccuracies.
In the end, my own rule of thumb on written dialects is this:
- Leave it out if…
- …the accent in no way distinguishes or defines the character, for example if everyone in the book speaks the same dialect.
- …you don’t feel you can do a consistent and accurate representation of the dialect.
- …it’s just an added hassle with which you don’t feel like dealing.
My current WIP is filled with thees and thous and the verb suffixes -th and -st. Having attended Sunday School and Bible Study as a child, I figured I had a pretty good handle on the use of the dialectical idiosyncrasies of Middle English, but well into my manuscript I found my dialog becoming muddled in places where I was less certain than I thought I was. I had to finally consult an expert, and now, already halfway through my book, I have an added rewrite chore of cleaning up the dialog I’ve already written. It’s a hassle, but it’s one I, personally, am willing to go through because I feel this dialect helps define the atmosphere I want for my story. But it’s not for everyone.
I’d love to hear about any of the challenges you have had in writing accents and dialects in the comments below.
Good topic, Kevin. My early contest entries were frequently criticized for archaic language. I write stories set in the fifteenth century–of course they’re archaic! In historical romance, though, it bogs the story down. It’s like salting your food — a little makes it more lively, and too much makes it unpalatable. When I use it, I phrase or frame it so the meaning is clear, and if I can leave my reader with a couple or three memorable expressions, that’s great fun. And I’m comfortable using contractions, but I strive to exclude anachronistic words that pull the reader out of the story. I’m impressed that you flirt with Middle English!!
That’s a key point, Kevin. If you find it tiresome to write, it is likely that some readers will find it tiresome to read.
Regarding “thou” and its ilk, most modern English speakers do not realize that they are the familiar, informal pronouns; they assume the opposite. Just one more snag to avoid in the Dialect Swamp!