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Question: I need help with dialect!?
I'm writing a story where one of my characters is an african-american who lives in the south!. This is not a stereotype of black people of the south-but I do want this character to speak a black southern dialect!. The problem is that I'm not sure how to write it!. Can anyone give me tips!? also-please do not submit any answer that is racist or accuse me of being racist-that is not my intention!. Is just that this character lives in the deep south-so I'm trying to make this accurate!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The best thing I would suggest is talk to someone from that area A LOT! Get to know what the differences in speech are!. I'm sure there are resources for studying different dialects, but that would take long and be boring!. This way, it would still take long, but you'd enjoy it!. The only problem is getting some perfect stranger to agree to talk to you!.!.!.
By the way, just to off-set any racist comments, I think it's great that you're trying to be true to character!. Twain wrote all his characters speech in dialect and he was definitely not racist!!! And no one could possibly think he was!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

If you are unfamiliar with dialect you have no business writing it!. There is nothing worse than badly done dialect and, racist or not, you are out of line to try to fake something of which you have no knowledge!. It will not work for you or your character or your reader!. Do the research, (and I don't mean Y!A) or change your story to something you can convincingly accomplish!. That, or write in correct English and convey the regionalism in another, less problematic, way!.Www@QuestionHome@Com