dialect in novels

[Dennis R. Preston]

>If the swamp-citters of Pogo did not help to continue the Northern
>denigration of southern speech in general, I'm a ring-tailed possum
>in a snow-storm. "Endearing" is interesting concept; not far, in my
>opinion, from the "articulate" label alttached to many
>African-Americans whose dialect pleases those who hold AAE in low
>esteem.

dInIs



>On Fri, 23 Feb 2001, Bob Haas wrote:
>
>>  Thanks, Dennis, et al, for the explanation.  Can you folks think of any
>>  instance in which such eye-dialect flavor is not denigrating?
>
>This wouldn't be an example from a novel (the original topic, no?), but
>Walt Kelly's use of eye-dialect to mark the speech of the Pogo characters
>certainly helped to endear those animals to us 1950s readers with nary a
>hint of denigration. In addition, his bear, P.T. Bridgeport, spoke in a
>hodgepodge of carnival type faces (Thunderbird, etc.) that set his speech
>apart visually from that of the others--a neat trick that helped to
>establish the Barnum-esque persona he represented; and the lugubrious
>Deacon Mushrat always had his speech drawn in an Old English face that
>illustrated the mournful eccleciast. Not a whit of denigration, if you ask
>me.
>
>PR

--
Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736