Dialect and accent are important parts of a story for both writers and readers. Dialect is the form of language specific to a particular region. (It’s the reason some folks say “pop” and some say “soda.”) It’s also colored by those nifty accents. Writers strive to recreate authentic dialect in our stories and you, the reader, imagine the accent in your mind. It’s a tricky balance because laying on the dialect with too heavy a hand, or writing out the dialogue with accents in place, can make the book hard to follow. For example…”Vere is de vonderful veisswurst vich Mama has cooked up in de kitchen?” Errgh. Too cliched and hard to follow. A whole novel of that would drive a reader crazy! There should be just a hint of dialect, a sprinkling in of regional words so the reader can imagine the character’s accent. Less is more when it comes to dialect and accent.
Do you have an accent? Here’s a quiz you can take which is supposed to pinpoint the region in which you live. (Disclaimer, it’s only applicable to American accents.) Would love to hear if the quiz was able to identify your region! Giving away a triple prize this month!
Fiction 4 Writers and Readers 