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Dialect. ? What does this character look like?. Dialect. Dialect is a way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular place or group of people. Y’all come on back to my ranch and watch me lasso that steer.
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? What does this character look like? Dialect Dialect is a way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular place or group of people. Y’all come on back to my ranch and watch me lasso that steer. Writers sometimes use dialect to provide clues about the people and settings in stories, bringing characters and places to life.
Literary Devices Dialect Did you guess that the character is a friendly cowboy? Y’all come on back to my ranch and watch me lasso that steer. Dialect can make characters seem more real.
? What does this character look like? Literary Devices Dialect In literature, dialect can help the author to develop a particular character. “Blimey, ’ere we are at last,” growled Captain Haines. “Strike the bloomin’ colors! Step lively, now!” Writers sometimes use dialect to convey a character’s attitude or education.
Literary Devices Dialect Did you guess that the character is an angry, uneducated pirate? “Blimey, ’ere we are at last,” growled Captain Haines. “Strike the bloomin’ colors! Step lively, now!”
"Vwood you like?" Toby's grandmother said as she offered him a pastry. Grandma Maia was raised in Estonia and didn't come to the United States until she was in her 40s. Toby loved to hear how she talked, especially when she told stories from the Old Country. He helped himself to a pastry—his favorite, an open-faced roll with cream cheese, butter, and a little sugar melted together. "Have anuzzer!" his grandma coaxed. "Vee have zo many, zeyvill never get eaten ozzervise." Toby grinned sheepishly and helped himself to another pastry. "Thanks, Vanaema," he said, calling her by the Estonian word for Grandma, as he always did. "But that's all I should eat. Mom will get mad if I spoil my appetite for dinner."
The dialogue shows how the grandmother is clearly from another country. The dialogue is added so that readers can "hear" how she speaks differently from Toby. This kind of reading selection is best read aloud, so the reader can really hear the character's accent.
Maybelle greeted us at the door in a summery white dress. She stood a little shorter than me, but her posture was ramrod straight, making her seem taller. A delighted smile spread across her face at the sight of us, her northern cousins. "Welcome to mah home!" she gushed as she ushered me and my sister, Beth, into the hall. "Y'all come to the pahluh and make yo-sevscumftable. Oh, ahm so glad you've come!" "Psst, Annie, where do we sit?" Beth whispered anxiously as we entered the parlor. There were two long couches and three overstuffed chairs. "Anywhere!" I whispered back. "It'll be fine." We'd been so nervous to meet our southern cousin, we chattered about it the whole way from New York on the train. "Well!" Maybelle said when we'd settled in on one of the couches. "Whut do you think of Shah-lotte?" she drawled. It took me a full moment to realize she had said, "Charlotte."
The dialogue is meant to show how people in the southern United States speak with a particular accent. Those in other parts of the country speak differently, too, with their own unique expressions.
