Writing Slang and Dialects

It's always been a slight struggle when writing slang, or just writing local dialects. Being from Yorkshire, its not a problem thinking of what to write in regards to my dialect, rather the problem lies with actually putting it on the script, how to write the words, making the person whos reading your script understand what your trying to put across and so on.
Does anyone else have this problem sometimes? I do manage to get around it just by writing down what I think is right and explaining where the characters come from and what they sound like. Thats all I can think of to do.
I'd like to hear how everyone goes about writing slang and dialects?

thanks

I'm not too sure?

I try too minimise writing slang and dialects. All my characters are mainly British, none specific, unless it's and English, Welsh, Scottish or N. Ireland person.

I just try my best to get across what I want the character to say and if the actor would want to add slang, then let them, within reason.

I've got a geordie in a sit-com I'm currently writing, but I make sure the dialect isn't too broad - luckily my parents are both geordies, so I've got a natural ear for that particular accent (even though I was raised 'dahn sahf').

I've just posted a link in the general discussion forum re: accents - check out this fantastic accent generator:

http://www.whoohoo.co.uk/main.asp

Hope it helps.

Quote: Jonny S @ May 24, 2007, 12:25 AM

It's always been a slight struggle when writing slang, or just writing local dialects. Being from Yorkshire, its not a problem thinking of what to write in regards to my dialect, rather the problem lies with actually putting it on the script, how to write the words, making the person whos reading your script understand what your trying to put across and so on.
Does anyone else have this problem sometimes? I do manage to get around it just by writing down what I think is right and explaining where the characters come from and what they sound like. Thats all I can think of to do.
I'd like to hear how everyone goes about writing slang and dialects?

thanks

View original

I'm sorry - i didn't quite understand that. Could you write a bit more slowly?

Quote: Stylo @ May 24, 2007, 12:50 PM

I've got a geordie in a sit-com I'm currently writing, but I make sure the dialect isn't too broad - luckily my parents are both geordies, so I've got a natural ear for that particular accent (even though I was raised 'dahn sahf').

I've just posted a link in the general discussion forum re: accents - check out this fantastic accent generator:

http://www.whoohoo.co.uk/main.asp

Hope it helps.

View original

I have a friend who's a geordie...they apparantly don't say "wayie man" (as much as I remind him they do) and they say "mush" a lot.

But generally there people tend to say words a lot like ours, and they bleed red blood

This is like that Harry Enfield Sketch with the pet geordie.

I've never really written in any particular dialect for the simple reason that I think it really narrows your potential audience down. It's nothing against accents, you don't want all your characters speaking the Queen's English, but it's quite something else to have your characters talking to only 3% of the country.

I've sat in writer's groups and had people tell me, without a hint of irony, that they writing something in which the characters speak Gaelic. I still hae no idea why you'd want to do that.

Probably to seem like smart arses.

Quote: Leevil @ May 24, 2007, 12:38 AM

I just try my best to get across what I want the character to say and if the actor would want to add slang, then let them, within reason.

View original

I'd tend to Leevil's approach. Write the words, and let the actors do it. You might find that the director, producer, script editor, casting director et al have their own take on it anyway, and what you thought was geordie ends up home counties. It's interesting from Andrew Collins's interview on here somewhere (INSERT LINK SOMEONE CLEVER) that Not Going Out was *not* originally written with an American in mind for Megan Dodds' role, and it had to be re-drafted.

I just find that it's not so much a matter of accents, more the way words are used. For example if something wasn't a problem to my geordie she'd probably say:

'nee bother pet'

rather than

'No probs'

which I'd write if she was from Hampshire.

One piece of advice i heard was to avoid the Chesterton (i think it was him) trap. He converted beautifully the West Country twang into a short story with the effect that although reading it literally made the character speak aloud in your head it quickly became unbearably irritating and so hard on the eyes to read that I couldn't finish it when i read it as an exercise.

The main question I'd ask is WHY does this character have to have a specific accent? What does it add or take away from the personality? If character is the bedrock, the essence of a person, what does the accent add or change about that person?

Your character determines the words you choose to use but accent is how other people recieve those words. I'd say that accent has little or no influence on the speaker's personality unless he / she was conciously thinking about how people would percieve them in the sense of regional stereotypes (i.e all scousers are seen as cheeky jokers, all Nukies are friendly and down-t'-earth etc).

For example, as an english-speaking Welshman I'd argue that suddenly and magically being able to speak fluent Welsh doesn't make me any more or any less Welsh than I was before I could speak Welsh.

I think the greatest effect that accent has, is on the audience via subconscious regional stereotyping. They hear an accent, so they expect a certain 'type'. It's affect on the character that is speaking those words is negligible.

Quote: SlagA @ May 28, 2007, 10:29 AM

For example, as an english-speaking Welshman I'd argue that suddenly and magically being able to speak fluent Welsh doesn't make me any more or any less Welsh than I was before I could speak Welsh.

View original

So, are you 'Welsh' or 'From Wales'?

<hopes someone saw Annually Retentive a couple of weeks ago>

Dan

I find that accents are ace for comedy. but if you add it with a bit of opposites then it becomes even better. Like a Eton lad with a sommerset accent and a footy hooligan with a plummy accent. a dustman talking about quantum physics and a art critic talking street jargon. well thats what i think anyway. but no one every listens to me so i may as well keep on gardening.

How's the garden looking?

Probably you haven't seen the latrest Enfield & Whitehouse show. They have a couple of posh intelligent builders who resort to type when they say a young lady etc.

According to Andrew Collins who wrote for EastEnders - he was told to write normally, and leave the cast to add the obligatory 'Whatcho torkin abahht?!!' as well as, interesting enough, not to use 'Listen' or 'Look' to start sentences as that's for the cast.

I find that using those in a script makes it seem more relaxed and natural, but what do I know?