Comments on: Using Slang and Accents When Writing Fictional Dialogue

By: Todd Eastman

Todd Eastman — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:19:42 +0000

Thanks for the great resource. I’m sure others will enjoy it as well.

By: Slang Dictionary

Slang Dictionary — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:34:21 +0000

Slangs are some words which adds new color to our life and using slang and accents when writing fictional dialogue is one of the best method. I would like to recommend a new slang dictionary Delight yourself by browsing through this and learn how colloquial expressions make the vernacular vocabulary of any language more colorful.

By: John Hewitt

John Hewitt — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:37:16 +0000

Thank you again for your linguistic contribution to my guest blogger month, Todd. Good luck with your writing.

By: Todd Eastman

Todd Eastman — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:40:47 +0000

Thanks for the additional references. I’ll have to check them out.

Leigh – I think you are right about all the writers you mentioned as good examples of writers who can pull this off. To me, Mark Twain epitomizes the perfect slang writer. His characters come alive without leaving the reader scratching their head.

J.T. – I’ve read writing like that as well. It sounds like the writer has fallen into the stereotyping trap. Sure, the Slovakian accent may sound harsh and guttural, but that doesn’t mean the dialog has to be written that way. A hint of an accent goes much further than banging the reader over the head with it.

Thanks for all the great comments everyone!

Todd

Todd Eastmans last blog post..Getting Paid to Write!

By: Jeanne Dininni

Jeanne Dininni — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:31:20 +0000

Todd,

This is wonderful advice for any writer of fiction who wants to use realistic-sounding regional accents. I’m sure that many will find your advice helpful. As J.T. mentions in the comment above, it’s so easy to lose one’s audience through heavy-handed use of accents–making it a chore to read a piece–and it really takes a deft touch to do the job well. Your advice should make it easier for writers to find that touch.

Thanks for an enlightening post!
Jeanne

By: J. T. Evans

J. T. Evans — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:09:35 +0000

A writer in my writers’ group starting submitting a new novel a few months back, and a recurring (but not main) character is Slovakian. To drive home the point, the writer forces a harsh accent on almost every single word that character speaks. It is incredibly difficult to read, and everyone in the group has told him these parts of the book’s dialog need to change. He has refused to make any changes because “That’s the way Slovakian people speak.”

We tried to compromise with him and asked him to only accent some important words in the sentences, but he seems compelled to accent everything even though it makes for a poor reading experience.

This article was mainly about making sure you get your accents and slang correct, but what about the overuse of accents in a character? Where is a good middle ground to show the speech patterns, but not to destroy the reader’s ability to easily glide through the conversations?

Thoughts? Ideas?

By: Lillie Ammann

Lillie Ammann — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:43:54 +0000

Todd,
Using slang and dialects poorly can ruin a book. I quit reading a historical novel because the dialogue was filled with modern-day slang that jarred me out of the time period of the story and made me wonder where in the world that came from. Thanks for your excellent advice on this important subject.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:52:20 +0000

Todd, great advice on how to integrate accents, speech patterns, and slang in one’s stories and what pitfalls to avoid like the plague. I recently edited a book with West Coast (U.S.) slang in it, and I’ll admit I stumbled over some of the diction and accents used, until I became more comfortable with them. However, as a former linguistics student, I am fascinated by accents and language (etymology, phonology, etc.) in general.

In addition to the book you mention, which I have not read, you can turn to the masters of varying accents (well, masters in my humble opinion): Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Robert Frost, Flannery O’Connor, Zora Neale Hurston, and so on.

Also, chances are, (as you hint) you’re a member of at least one subculture–whether it be photography, Northeasterners, medical transcriptionists, Buddhist, or whatnot–that you can mine jargon and dialog from for your stories and novels.

Best of luck with your “threelancing,” Todd! I’m looking forward to checking out your blog.

By: The Authentic Voice: Using slang and accent in your writing « 1WriteWay

The Authentic Voice: Using slang and accent in your writing « 1WriteWay — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:25:13 +0000

[...] Todd’s post and learn more about using slang and accent in your writing. [...]

By: Marie Ann Bailey

Marie Ann Bailey — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:05:29 +0000

Todd, you provide excellent advice for using slang and accent in fictional writing. I am pretty shy about using dialect–I don’t have as a good an ear for picking up dialect as do other writers–but I have tried to use accent to help flesh out a character. I think a little bit of accent can go a long way to defining a character whereas laying it on too thick can, as you point out, overwhelm a reader. I have the same hesitation in using slang unless I’m armed with proof that I’m using it correctly. I admire writers that use slang, dialect, and accent appropriately; it can truly enhance a story. Thanks for the reference, too!
Cheers,
Marie