dialect in novels

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 2/22/01 1:00:36 PM Eastern Standard Time,
prichard at LINFIELD.EDU writes:

<< an Ebonyx, off to cavort with other mythical beasts such as Yales. >>

Yales are not beasties, they are fishies, as in the old saying, "Yale lox"

Now that I have been corrected on "Ebonics", it is time to get back to the
original thread.  I would like to commend Herb Stahlke's comments (2/22/01 at
10:13:13 AM)

<<...Compare [Joel Chandler Harris's] representation of AAVE a century ago
with that of a writer like James Baldwin, and you get a very clear study in
stereotyping vs. literary art.  The fact that Harris' intent may
have been benevolent, if condescendingly so, doesn't lessen the
effect of his heavy use of eye dialect.>>

I dislike eye dialect, feeling that it gives the reader, to use a Harris
metaphor, an unnecessary tar baby to struggle with.  Discussion, anyone?

(An exception: if the writer is actively working with the nuances and
wordplays of AAVE, or for that matter any other dialect, then eye dialect is
necessary, but the reader is already having heavy going so eye dialect is not
a major additional problem.)

       - James A. Landau