So...accents

Baryonyx · Apr 7, 2010

Regional accents

Okie dokey, so I'm working on a steampunk story at the moment and the major setting is around the Holland-Germany border so quite a few of the characters are going to be Dutch and German.

So, should I write the characters dialogue with accents relating to each country or just do it how I would if the character was English?

I've seen it done both ways in books that I've read and kinda unsure with which way I should go for.

So...any pointers?

Cheers

DeleyanLee · Apr 7, 2010

Pointer #1: Which is easier for you to write?

Pointer # 2: Don't make it annoying or hard to read.

The more I have to slow down and figure out what that word is supposed to be, the less likely I am going to continue reading.

dpaterso · Apr 7, 2010

Vell, steampunk, dot is a genre vot invites a bit of fun, ja? Zo I might be zinking, ze accents, zey add somezink to der story! If serious, maybe bad idea, you bet! But vot do you zink? Is your story.

...More to the point, how hard was the above to read?

-Derek

Deleted member 42 · Apr 7, 2010

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170811&highlight=dialect

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157060&highlight=dialect

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111838&highlight=dialect

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79774&highlight=dialect

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126614&highlight=accent

dpaterso · Apr 7, 2010

Ahem, steampunk regional dialogue example:
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20051007

-Derek

Polenth · Apr 7, 2010

I'd think it was silly if they were Germans speaking in German, but you'd transcribed it into this-is-my-second-language English. They'd be fluent at German, so their English-as-German would also be fluent.

If they are speaking English, and you use a highly stereotypical accent (see dpaterso's post), it'll come across as making fun of the characters. That might not be the tone you're intending.

Overall, I prefer to see dialects written out rather than accents. Other readers may vary.

BenPanced · Apr 7, 2010

In the first novel I'd completed, I'd written a character "in accent". During rewrites, I noticed it read like he was drunk all of the time, so I dropped everything except a few key pronounciations (except for the scene where he actually was drunk).

milly · Apr 7, 2010

I think you should write it how you hear it in your mind and then have someone read it, at least a page or two of dialogue to see if they get it, if it works or if it is too distracting. Also, I think you should ask what an accent adds to the story...if the accent is not something that would alert the reader to locale, then maybe it doesn't matter or, maybe you could have one character you could use it with and not with others.

I write mostly about the deep south and tend to write in accents but, the word choices and dropping of the "g" at the ends of words are things I usually put on certain characters. Particularly from such changes, you 'd be able to figure out where a character was located without me saying the story is set in Alabama or Louisanna for example.

If the accent adds that level or to the personality, do it but even then, only if it does not take away from the readin'

milly · Apr 7, 2010

come to think of it, I may be thinking more of pronunciation as a way to characterize accent...I may be off on my above suggestion but, take it for what you will

justAnotherWriter · Apr 7, 2010

I don't know if this will help, but the way I handle accents, as in people with accents speaking English, is like this:

"Hello," Miagi said in a thick accent, pronouncing his Ls like Rs. "I very happy to see you again, Daniel-san. You go see new Karate Kid movie and burn down theater. Is affront to Japanese culture. Not even karate. Take place in China. Very bad."

So no misspellings (at least not on purpose!), which makes it easier to read, but gives the reader an idea of what I want it to sound like in their heads. I always try to leave much of the work up to the reader in all things, I find they prefer it that way.

shadowwalker · Apr 7, 2010

I'm not familiar with steampunk, but if the example dpaterso gave is typical, I guess I'd go with putting in the accents. I have to say, though, I would quit reading very very quickly.

In my own writing, I'll drop an occasional g or throw in a colloquialism, something to give the 'flavor' but not the whole menu. Much as I love Mark Twain... :Headbang:

Bufty · Apr 7, 2010

Insofar as French or German accents are concerned, concentrate on word choice and sentence construction rather than any phonetic attempt at portraying accent. The latter usually comes across as ineffective and silly.

Write the dialogue in English.

If I know a character is German, say, and he can speak English I will put the 'German' accent into his dialogue as I read it. Whether he speaks perfect English or not quite so perfect English with perhaps the odd German word included is the writer's choice but I prefer to read plain English. There's still scope for humour - if desired -simply by word confusion.

I once started to read a deep south draft manuscript where the writer used continuous phonetic spelling to convey the accent in dialogue and I had to give up after one page - it was excruciating to say the least - and unintelligible I guess to other than a local.

Mr Flibble · Apr 7, 2010

dpaterso said:
Vell, steampunk, dot is a genre vot invites a bit of fun, ja? Zo I might be zinking, ze accents, zey add somezink to der story! If serious, maybe bad idea, you bet! But vot do you zink? Is your story.

...More to the point, how hard was the above to read?

-Derek

Do you have a little tank, or a fallen Madonna wiz ze big boobies?

If you're going for fun, then Derek's can be the way to go ( see the sitcom I'm referencing above, 'Allo 'Allo). If you aren't....then it gets tricky.

Firstly, go with what feels comfortable to you. Maybe mention they have an accent, maybe drop in the occasional Ja? etc that seems natural. Al la Poirot, n'est pas?

Experiment. See what works for you. As you say, I've seen it done all ways ( including a masterpiece that started with brief pieces of slang and wove them so well, by the end I was talking like a native Glaswegian. So stop ya greetin' and try it) As long as it's got the tone you're going for and it doesn't annoy readers, you're good.

Baryonyx · Apr 7, 2010

Hiya!

Thanks for the advice, think I'm gonna leave the accents since I both don't think it will fit in with the story and I reckon I'll balls it up in some way.

Plus it'll be hard to read if a large ammount of characters are German and talking in an accent.

So, thanks for the advice y'all

shaldna · Apr 8, 2010

DeleyanLee said:
Pointer # 2: Don't make it annoying or hard to read.

.

This. So this. On so many levels. Because I have a very strong regional accent myself (I'm from Belfast) I kind of feel sometimes like the author is trying too hard to get it right. When I am faced with paragraphs of 'an b't te me chuck.' I put the book down.

I read alot of sci-fi, a lot. And there are an awful lot of Russian characters in sci-fi. I don't need a pseudo-phonetic dialogue. Tell me they are Russian, I know the accent and I will fill it in myself.

blacbird · Apr 8, 2010

Zefiris said:
So, should I write the characters dialogue with accents relating to each country or just do it how I would if the character was English?

Trying to phoneticize spoken accents is almost always a bad idea. English itself is a long way from phonetically-spelled, as we all know. Regional variations in spoken English, including as a second language, involve word choice and grammar as much as pronunciation, and you'll do better, more readable stuff, if you concentrate on those.

caw

emilycross · Apr 8, 2010

I think you should just write it in english without any sort of accents. Much like what Shaldna has said, you don't need to give us phonetics.

Plus you may also tread into stereotypes if you went with accents/phonetics which could be insulting if you don't get down perfectly.

Talihashi · Apr 13, 2010

Maybe you can just say he had a british accent or whatever. I for one really hate reading when people write in accents I don't mind hearing them but reading it is just frustrating.

shaldna · Apr 13, 2010

Talihashi said:
Maybe you can just say he had a british accent or whatever. I for one really hate reading when people write in accents I don't mind hearing them but reading it is just frustrating.

no. this is a bad idea usually said by americans who don't realise that we don't all speak the same way. think about it, it's like five separate countries over here, and accents change in less then 50 miles. think about it, someone in Boston doesn't have the same accent as someone in Miami do they?

and besides, when people say 'british accent' i always hear bridget jones' voice in my head.

Ellefire · Apr 13, 2010

shaldna said:
no. this is a bad idea usually said by americans who don't realise that we don't all speak the same way. think about it, it's like five separate countries over here, and accents change in less then 50 miles. think about it, someone in Boston doesn't have the same accent as someone in Miami do they?

and besides, when people say 'british accent' i always hear bridget jones' voice in my head.

Tis true, so very true.

I am assured there are places on the Yorkshire / Lancashire border where the accent changes depending on which side of the road you are on.

Look is either : 'Luke' (Lancs) or 'luck' (Yorks)
Stairs is either : 'Sturrs' (Lancs) or 'Stares' (Yorks)
etc.

Lady Ice · Apr 13, 2010

Some of the time it's obvious. If he's called Pierre and has jetted over from France, we assume he has a French accent unless we are told otherwise.

When Americans say British accent they normally mean sounding like Hugh Grant.

Mr Flibble · Apr 13, 2010

Lady Ice said:
When Americans say British accent they normally mean sounding like Hugh Grant.

Most of us mere mortals will be a let down then

So...accents

Baryonyx

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

Deleted member 42

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

Polenth

Mushroom

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

milly

seeing sparks

milly

seeing sparks

justAnotherWriter

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Baryonyx

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

blacbird

emilycross

is away with the fairies

Talihashi

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

Ellefire

Citizen Of Planet Random

Lady Ice

Makes useful distinctions

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble