Dialect
Student Name: _______________________________ Date: _________ Period: ____
Diction Review: What is it? Why do we care? What can diction accomplish in a literary text?
One of the ways an author develops his or her style/voice is
through the use of ______________(a specific choice of
diction). Dialect is the distinctive speech pattern of a
particular region, class, or race. Although slang is a part of
dialect, dialect has __________________ of grammar,
vocabulary, and pronunciation; however, frequently dialect
is spelled____________________ (the way it sounds) as
there is no formal spelling for dialect.
Through the use of dialect, authors are able to create an
_____________ story, ____________characters, and
establish the _____________.
Read through the quotes, and "translations" from Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Word
"Humph! Y'all let her worry yuh. You ain't like me. Ah ain't got her to
"Ah"
study 'bout. If she ain't got manners enough to stop and let folks know
how she been malkin' out, let her g'wan! "
Meaning
I
"She ain't even worth talkin' after," Lulu Moss drawled through her nose.
"She sits high, but she looks low. Dat's what Ah say 'bout dese ole
women runnin' after young boys."
"dese"
These
Pheoby Watson hitched her rocking chair forward before she spoke.
"Well, nobody don't know if it's anything to tell or not. Me, Ah'm her best
friend, and Ah don't know."
"Ah'm"
"I'm"
"Maybe us don't know into things lak, you do, but we all know how she
went 'way from here and us sho seen her come back. 'Tain't no use in
your tryin' to cloak no ole woman lak Janie Starks, Pheoby, friend or no
friend."
"lak"
"like"
"dat"
"that"
"No more'n forty at de outside."
"at de"
"on the"
"Tea Cake ain't been no boy for some time. He's round thirty his
ownself."
"his ownself"
"himself"
"keer"
"care"
"At dat she ain't so ole as some of y'all dat's talking."
"Don't keer what it was, she could stop and say a few words with us. She
act like we done done something to her," Pearl Stone complained. "She
de one been doin' wrong."
*Remember, Hurston was harshly criticized for her portrayal of Southern Black life. How does dialect relate to
this criticism?
Practice: As we listen, rewrite the following sentences from chapter 1 of Their Eyes Were Watching God using
more familiar, standard, or more modern language. You may use your glossary of Harlem slang.
1. Wat dat ole forty year ole ‘oman doin; wid her hair swingin’ down her back lak some young gal?
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Challenge: Can you identify the tone? ________________
2. If she ain’t got manners enough to stop and let folks know how she been makin’ out, let her g’wan.
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Challenge: Can you identify the tone? ________________
3. De way you talkin’ you’d think de folks in dis town didn’t do nothin’ in de bed ‘cept praise de Lawd.
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Challenge: Can you identify the tone? ________________
4. You know if you pass some people and don’t speak tuh suit ‘em dey got tuh go way back in yo’ life and see
whut you ever done. They know mo’ ‘bout yuh than you do yo’ self.
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Challenge: Can you identify the tone? ________________
5. Most of these zigaboos is so het up over yo’ business till they liable to hurry theyself to Judgement to find
out about you if they don’t soon know.”
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Challenge: Can you identify the tone? ________________
6. It’s hard for me to understand what you mean, de way you tell it. And then again Ah’m hard of
understandin’ at times.”
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Challenge: Can you identify the tone? ________________
*Consider: How purpose does Hurston's use of dialect serve? What voice/voices do we notice as we read?
Why would Hurston include this/these voice/voices? How do they create HER voice as an author?
Homework: Please complete both steps of the homework. You will be turning this in.
1) As you read, remember that you should be taking notes in your book of anything that stood out to you,
that you liked, or that you didn't understand. Make annotations!
2)As you read, identify 3 sentences of dialect that you find interesting and translate them from dialect to
standard English.
Original Sentence:
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Translation:________________________________________________________________________________________
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Original Sentence:
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Translation:________________________________________________________________________________________
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Original Sentence:
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Translation:________________________________________________________________________________________
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