"We ain't moving, are we?" or
"We ain't movin', are we?"
I hear writers should avoid too much dialect mispellings, but "we ain't moving" looks weird to me.
My measure is, does it sound correct in your head? Always go with what sounds like your character talking, and that should be good enough.
Sometimes, when you're writing it, it feels like it really needs to have the "g" dropped. But I never do that, and no reader has ever complained. I think it's something that only bothers people when they write, not when they read (if the word choice is done properly). On the other hand, a whole bunch of runnin's and jumpin's and hollerin's can get really tiresome.
Of course, when you read it aloud (or even in your head) you should say (or think) "movin'." But that's because the other language gets you thinking in the right voice.
[This message has been edited by rickfisher (edited March 07, 2005).]
Avoid it.
That being said...
Slag, when used in dialogue, should be consistent. If your character said the first sentence, then leave it. If they said the second, then leave it. Make sure your publisher understands which one you want or an overly zealous editor who speaks very little English will 'correct' it for you.
I have characters who will say, "Thanks." "See ya later!" and "What are ya doing wi' that knife, luv?" As long as you're consist for the reader, that's the important thing.
Oh, and why should slang be avoided? Because your standard American reader doesn't want to work that hard to read a story. As a first piece, you might not want to go overboard with in the slang department unless 1) It's necessary to the story; and 2) You are VERY good at writing it.
Of course, that being said, most Science Fiction readers and Adult Speculative readers are not your average American.
Those top 10 best sellers... that's your average American reader. (under breath) and if I have to read and edit ONE MORE Tom Clancy novel, I prefer death.
<grin>
For instance, what dialect is this passage written in?
quote:
I reckon I felt right sorry for her. I just kept on thinking, "How come she left them others over yonder?"
Would it really be improved by writing it like this?
quote:
Ah reckon ah felt right sorry fer her I jest kep' on thinkin', "How cum she lef' dem oders o'er yonder?
Now a little bit sprinkled in like "gonna" instead of "going to" make sense but largely because they are commonly accepted forms of written slang. Which is why dropping the final G is probably fine--because we see it so often--but unnecessary.
[This message has been edited by MaryRobinette (edited March 07, 2005).]
And that brings up a very important point to consider. The choice you make depends very much on the voice of the character. If it's a kid, for example, who uses 'ain't' just to annoy his mother, then the voice is a normal one mixed with some slang. Leave the g. However, if the voice needs to be a hard drawl in order to establish the character in a certain way, then you'd definitely want to drop the g.
The real key, IMO, to doing the drawl successfully is to VERY CAREFULLY consider every uttered phrase to make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN it is easily readable. If your reader has to stumble just ONCE over what the guy is trying to say, you're sunk.
And just a question about ain't what does the ' replace? is it the contraction of ai not?
I didn't find "Ain't" but be the first on your block to use http://www.snopes.com/language/mistakes/dord.htm this in a story.
[This message has been edited by franc li (edited March 07, 2005).]
I'm particular to what dakota says. She knocked it right in the eye. Good job, friend. Only, I'm willing to forgive the stumble, until I pick up the cadence. That's another piece of the pie right there, cadence.
Like I said before, some people appreciate the drawl and others don't. I wouldn't necessarily label it slang, just voicing. Slang, to me, is the use of replacement words and the like, not shortening or emphasizing them. I don't know if I stated that right, so here is the definition:
A kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect.
Language peculiar to a group; argot or jargon: thieves' slang.
OSC talked about the "-ing" thing in Bootcamp last year. He asserted that the difference between "I'm goin' to the store" and "I'm going to the store" was one of implied intelligence. Since there isn't any true pronunciation difference, the first sentence is just a way of demeaning the character's intelligence or education level. To be perfectly clear, he said it wasn't a good technique. Although I don't remember his exact words, the overall impression that I was left with was that it was "arrogant writing--a cheap shot to make the writer feel superior to the stereotypical character he's writing."
Hope this helps!
When I'm at work, being formal, I say "ing," and when I'm hanging out, I say "in'." And I do respect the characters I'm giving my own dialect to.
[This message has been edited by wbriggs (edited March 07, 2005).]
http://www.answers.com/topic/ain-t
Vulagrisms! Controversial slang! Cool!
R
Just re-reading this post and you'd never guess I studied linguisitics, would you?
[This message has been edited by RFLong (edited March 08, 2005).]
they may not be proper uses, but i ain't one to complain
I'm not a big fan of doing things to make dialogue unreadable. Dialoge, for me, is the part that really gets a story moving and really shows me the interaction between characters. When you slow that part down by making me sound out things like "ah" for I and "goin'" for going I have a tendency to put the book down. (And I barely tolerated Twain. The thing about him is, he's from a different time. Writintg evolves as everything else does.)
Here's the thing about your assertion that at work you say -ing and at hom you say -in' ... Unless there is a more significant dialect switch between home and work I suggest you don't say it. If your character wears a suit and tie to work and speaks in front of a judge in highly intellectual tones, but then goes home to speak like a poor black person, then that is significant enough to illustrate. It's weird. We'll want to know why but we'll need constant reminders THAT it's true, because the educated black people I know go home and speak on a level with how they speak at work.
But if you have a character with an accent, the occassional reminder that he is using that accent along with a careful word choice that illustrates the manner of speech, is almost always sufficient. The nuances of professional vs. home life are usually a mundane detail, IMO, and if it's that important to you there are always options like demonstrating that she is a professional at work and very laid back at home.
Most people don't pronounce the 'g' anyway. It's the 'i' that makes the difference in the prounciation of 'ing' words.
quote:Scholars of Arabic diglossia might beg to differ on that.
Dialect is syntax adn word choice, not pronunciation.
I'd say dialect is seldom a matter of syntax, but I'll throw it out there for discussion.
RFLong's link brought up the interesting point that most people think "aren't I" is more grammatical than "aint I" even though there is no logical reason it should be. It's a fool that looks for logic in the grammatical heart.