tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post3992055815713168528..comments2023-12-26T18:33:04.681-08:00Comments on Writability: The Dangers of Dialect Gabe (Ava Jae)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04778524723148508140noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-54571337056114112012014-05-26T10:06:13.959-07:002014-05-26T10:06:13.959-07:00That's a great point about dialect sometimes w...That's a great point about dialect sometimes working better when it's imagined by the reader. I think that may be part of the reason I tend to prefer dialect that's shown through word choice rather than literally spelling it out.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-16408522101605242512014-05-26T10:05:14.928-07:002014-05-26T10:05:14.928-07:00Yes! I completely agree. Showing accents through w...Yes! I completely agree. Showing accents through word choice is fantastic, because it doesn't slow down readability, but it still shows a character's unique speech and gives a sense for their accent.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-50942154377910140162014-05-26T10:04:36.240-07:002014-05-26T10:04:36.240-07:00I totally understand your interest—it can definite...I totally understand your interest—it can definitely be fun! But balance is definitely key here. If you overdo it, there are unfortunately repercussions.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-66442894885391129602014-05-26T10:03:44.127-07:002014-05-26T10:03:44.127-07:00It's been a while since I've read the Harr...It's been a while since I've read the <i>Harry Potter</i> series...but I don't think I did?Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-63765390261237092242014-05-24T07:09:34.841-07:002014-05-24T07:09:34.841-07:00Oi compleetely ergree wif everyfin' yew said. ...Oi compleetely ergree wif everyfin' yew said. <br />I critiqued a story a year or two ago in which the villain was some kind of chimeric snake lady with a chronic hissing problem. The writer indicated this by an overload of the letter S, which got a little old after jusssst a few paragraphssss. I suggested that she mention in her description of the character that she hissed when she spoke, rather than wearing out the S key on her keyboard. I think that dialect is sometimes better when it's imagined by the reader, and not spelled out for them.Braden Russellhttp://thestorymonger.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-86745368282732926692014-05-23T21:13:17.257-07:002014-05-23T21:13:17.257-07:00Did you ever have trouble reading Viktor Krum'...Did you ever have trouble reading Viktor Krum's dialogue in Goblet of Fire?Robin Rednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-49505545867682122542014-05-23T16:33:50.058-07:002014-05-23T16:33:50.058-07:00The example I was given was the Deep South accent ...The example I was given was the Deep South accent of America. You can listen to how they speak on video and emulate the flow of the words rather than the phoneticsRoweMatthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-77840194649751456492014-05-23T16:32:52.664-07:002014-05-23T16:32:52.664-07:00Oh of course. When you're a young writer it...Oh of course. When you're a young writer it's easy to think you are being clever by writing phonetic words for dialogue but it's just a pain to read. I got some advice once that really helped. A writer can give a better impression of dialogue through careful word choiceRoweMatthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-87756935574772090782014-05-23T12:38:07.776-07:002014-05-23T12:38:07.776-07:00It may be a quirk of mine as an English teacher wh...It may be a quirk of mine as an English teacher who has worked with many non-native English speakers, but each of my novels has a principle character whose first language is not English. Representing that accented English faithfully is part of the "fun" as an author/linguist. I have to strive to maintain a balance between keeping it realistic and keeping it readable.Stephennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-35054225301215835842014-05-23T09:27:44.868-07:002014-05-23T09:27:44.868-07:00Yay Hagrid!Yay Hagrid!Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-56697561774406953322014-05-23T09:27:18.389-07:002014-05-23T09:27:18.389-07:00I like what you said about word choice being more ...I like what you said about word choice being more effective than pronunciation—I agree! I think it tends to sound much more natural and draw less attention to itself, but still work wonderfully as a way to show a lot about a character and make the dialogue memorable. <br /><br /><br />As for the MS you read, I can definitely see how that'd make things rather difficult to read. It's tough, because I love language stuff too, but if it's not balanced, it can be a major turn off to readers. *sigh*Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-32125783449527750572014-05-23T06:50:02.119-07:002014-05-23T06:50:02.119-07:00Ha! "Yer a wizard, Harry."Ha! "Yer a wizard, Harry."Robin Rednoreply@blogger.com