tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331584299826708657.post-72626479887293757082007-12-10T14:07:00.000-06:002007-12-11T18:08:44.982-06:00The rule of thumb is not to write the accents of ethnic characters into the dialogue. The sheer stereotyping of this post title should make it clear why not. But I believe an amendment should be made to that: Don’t write the accents into the final draft.<br /><br />Regional variances make characters unique and help to initially define them by tapping into (and/or challenging) the reader’s presuppositions. If you know the sound and speech patterns you’re looking for, it may help to “write an accent” while drafting.<br /><br />With those visible inflections removed from the page, it can be harder to keep the word patterns and regional slang in mind during a speed-writing creative burst. There is nothing wrong with being privately cheesy while in draft, if it helps to fine-tune and flavour the final work. Find-and-replace tools on word processors make it relatively easy to clean things up during redrafting.<br /><br />I talked with an experienced writer on my crit group about this. She writes Canadian Mennonite characters. Low German speech has a lovely, subtle lilting feel to it that can’t be communicated by writing in an accent. Her advice was to use colloquialisms and pay attention to word order in ethnic speech. Oftentimes, grammar transfers from the native language to English. I have the same problem at times when I speak French, because the patterns of the languages overlap in places and diverge in others.<br /><br />Sometimes, phrasings are crossovers from the native language. One of my faves from my husband’s Mennonite roots is, “Make de door ope.” To nail these down, some familiarity with the non-English language and culture you want to express is required. If you get it wrong, you will look really dumb, and possibly like an ignorant Anglo-supremacist. Cultural sensitivity and respect are a major requirement for creating a truly multicultural cast of characters.<br /><br />The easy part is, people are people, wherever you go in the world. I had to laugh when I heard that some African cultures exchange lengthy genealogies as a greeting. What an exotic, tribal, primitive custom, right? Well, only for those who haven’t lived in small-town North America. Or the Mennonite side of my family.<br /><br />TVs, internet and high-volume consumer economies don’t change human nature. Neither does surviving by the skin of one’s teeth in the Third World outback. Culture informs our worldview, but it doesn’t change our humanity or our ability to hope and dream.<br /><br />Accent is a signature of regional culture, which informs character. Regionalism can be a shortcut to defining some parts of a character’s worldview. But it’s just a small part, not the defining trait. So the rule makes sense: Don’t write the accents–in the final draft.Zookeeper Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231606806986839196noreply@blogger.com