Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Speaking in Dialect: Pros and Cons
One thing that I think should be discussed, and frankly I'm suprised it hasn't been hit on already, is the African American dialect that appears frequently in the novel. Does it add authenticity to the novel or does it take away from the writing itself? From what I've heard from my classmates, some have found it very hard to understand and therefore are having trouble following the story. I, for one, have had to go over some passages twice to really establish what I read. One thing that Mark Twain was applauded for was writing with an American style- writing things exactly as he would have heard them in middle America. So, is it worth the confusion?
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This is a great point! I think Jim's dialect adds pure authenticity to the dialogue. Some complain about it but I think they are just irked by the difference in what they are used to hearing. At first, I myself was quite put out by it. After reading on, I caught onto Jim's way of speaking. I think Twain's clever approach makes the story more interesting and also helps me to have a more vivid picture of Jim in my mind.
ReplyDeleteMy point on Zoey101pwns post reflected on this. I believe that the story is more authentic, more original, and more "epic" with the added dialogue of contradicting fellows.
ReplyDeleteI personally cannot stand the way Jim talks. But then again, I am sort of a grammar freak. I guess it is just kind of a pet peeve the way he talks. But I do love how Mark Twain writes it that way in the book. It totally makes the book seem more realistic, because in reality, slaves weren't the best speakers back then. Kudos to Mark Twain.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the dialogue is difficult to read for some people. I personally don't have any trouble with it, but I know that others complain about it. It's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" all over again. My suggestion to people who are having trouble with it: Read it out loud. It makes more sense when you do. Sometimes I'm a bit of a grammar freak myself, but I think the the dialogue adds character to the book and makes it a bit more interesting. Because sometimes this book is a bit boring.
ReplyDeletei think you should take a reading class dude.
ReplyDeleteHaha I know, I'm a grammar freak as well and I'm almost overwhelmed when Jim speaks, but all in all it really adds so much to the novel. Another trick for reading is to read the passage quickly, just as you see the words, so you don't have the time to process the misspellings. I dont know, that helps for me.
ReplyDeleteReading out loud works. Like that stupid game they advertise on tv. Hah. But in all seriousness, the way you verbalize it without processing the words themselves. It helps for me, but don't get caught doing it up late at night, your parents might think you've gone completly mad. Split personality to the extent of different accents and dialects? hmm. good luck. =]
ReplyDeletePersonally i can't stand when Jim speaks in the book... It makes me sort of angry because i have to slow down and try to understand it. alothough this does add to the feel of the novel, i am not the biggest fan of the dialogue.
ReplyDeleteThat is very true. I am already confused half the time when reading this book. So it does make sense that he uses that kind of slang. It just makes it hard for some people who have to really pay attention to understand what is going on. If not, you would get really lost in the book and not understand anything.
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