I was reading another thread and thought this would be something that might come in handy. And, it will also help get your stories verified faster.hCXj0mmSVkzyNq58
Using accents and dialects is fine and it helps strengthen your characters. It gives them a certain amount of authenticity. However, keep in mind that accents and dialects should be restricted to dialogue. If the dialect is hard to understand or extreme, you may want to somehow decipher it for your reader to limit confusion. There are various creative ways you can do that without it actually sounding like you think your reader is stupid. Otherwise, write in standard English form.
Stories told in first person can be a challenge since we are generally listening the the character think or speak. You will have to constantly check yourself to make sure that the accent or dialect doesn't alienate your reader or confuse them. So, it is generally advised to limit dialect where possible. Try to keep it within actual punctuated dialogue as well.
Stay away from unexplained extremes. The more intricate your phonetic spelling of certain phrases and words are when using accents, the more you confuse your reader. If your reader cannot understand you or has a problem following you visually, you defeat your purpose. It is no longer realistic, it is distracting from your story. The most important thing is to not over do it, make sure it is authentic and limit yourself to what is only necessary to give your reader a clear view of your character. As a rule, if it is not necessary, don't use it. It should have a function within your tale or poem.
Some of you may have some encouragement or comments on that topic to help us all out. I know the use of slang is popular too and can be just as tricky. And, our Lush members are from all parts of the globe.
That's some very good advice. Thank you, you've been very helpful. I have kept the Rastafarian dialect to a minimum. As I said, he's not a central character and he speaks rarely.
I must warn you, though, my stories always have a bit of a nefarious vibe to them. I'll post some dialogue now and please give me your honest opinion. If you want me to tone it down a bit, it's not a problem; it'll take me five minutes.
Jamal picked up on the first ring and in gruff tone with a Jamaican accent said, “Yah, wat can I do fo’ yu?”
Jamal sucked in through his teeth. “Nah, man. I got nuttin’ fo’ yu, blood. I is branching out inta other areas o’ business. It’s not men dat I is looking for, if yu kna’ wat I mean.”
He stared at me, looking nonplussed, and said, “Wat de fak are yu doing lying on da floor, man?”
Pulling a bag of white powder from his pocket, he held it aloft and said, “Yu join meh fo' a line o’ coke ‘fore we git down ta business?”
Jamal glared down at me, smiling. “I is goan’ta fak yo’ wife nah. Ya watch and learn, boy. But I is warning yu nah, man – touch yo’ dick and it’a be de last ting yu eva do.”
I'm English so I don't have an accent.
The piece of dialogue involving the two Jamaican's was no doubt excellent (I have no terms of reference) although there was one challenge to it from my personal perspective, I didn't really understand it and had to read it two or three times to actually get it's meaning. For me this could detract from the reader's experience, of course counter wise if the reader is fully conversant in dialect then I am sure it will enhance the story for them.
I am by birth a Geordie (Newcastle, North East of England) and trust me if I dropped into full accent then it would have many running for Google translate to try to understand what I was saying, so I do understand a little about accents.
Then we have the 'pond' differences between America and UK, simple words like 'knickers' v 'panties' or 'arse' v 'ass' or one I can across recently (I have an American editor) which was 'dirt roads'.
Taking the above things into account when writing I will cheat a little.
1 - I let the reader do the work - By using a phrase such as 'Helga spoke in her clipped Scandinavian accent' they will now mentally read Helga's words with their interpretation of what a Scandinavian accent sounds like.
2 - Throw in key words that enhance the regional accent - 'pet' is good geordie word or 'y'all' for just about any of the southern states of America.
3 - Can I phrase it differently? - Sometime to avoid confusion rather than using a local word, say more but explain fully. For example, "Quick" shouted Mary, "down this ginnel and away." could be replaced with "Quick" shouted Mary, "down this gap and away." as she pointed to the covered passage between the two houses.
I am sure I still fall foul at times especially when it comes to USA / UK differences, but when I wrote I try to think of the reader's ease of understanding.
As anyone been on a moor bartat'
Yea, I know what you mean. It would require a more durable biscuit.
