I know there used to be a thread about this, but the last entry was from 2005. If need be, though, go ahead and consolidate them.
Two words: just...don't. Have mercy on your reader and don't try to write thick accents. I love the Brontes, but good grief. Some of their dialect is so unintelligible that modern editors translate it in the footnotes. Don't put your readers through that kind of work.
I have lived in England. I never had any trouble understanding the accents while I was there. The main difference was the choice of words and phrases they used. Do your homework and find out how the other culture speaks. I'm currently working on a novel set in Edwardian England. I have read many books actually written during that period, and have made a list of words and phrases that will convey that time.
Two words: just...don't. Have mercy on your reader and don't try to write thick accents. I love the Brontes, but good grief. Some of their dialect is so unintelligible that modern editors translate it in the footnotes. Don't put your readers through that kind of work.
I have lived in England. I never had any trouble understanding the accents while I was there. The main difference was the choice of words and phrases they used. Do your homework and find out how the other culture speaks. I'm currently working on a novel set in Edwardian England. I have read many books actually written during that period, and have made a list of words and phrases that will convey that time.