eye dialect

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 2/23/01 7:31:43 AM, preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU writes:

<< Unfortunately, some have started to use the term "eye-dialect" to
refer to respellings which attempt to capute some fact of
pronunciation (e.g., allegro speech forms such as "gonna" or actual
regional prpmunciaion "tahm' for "time").  >>

I would called GONNA eye dialect but not TAHM for TIME. GONNA (like -IN' for
-ING) is a universal feature not usually expressed in the formal writing
system, so writing GONNA adds nothing to the characterization of the
utterance as "dialect" per se, only the formality level; it thus suggests the
flavor of "dialect" without actually being dialect. TAHM, however, reflectgs
actual dialect features.