Random writing thought: dialects

[locker_monster]

Love'em? Hate'em? I started writing a fic with the setting in Scotland and suddenly all the Scottish characters are using "ye" and "dinnae" and so on. I'm the author and even I'm finding it annoying. Sure, you want to highlight that this character has an accent, but do you really need to? Is saying, "He spoke with a heavy Scottish accent" enough?

Or do you stop noticing after awhile? I'm trying to get through the Outlander series and one of the main characters is Scottish. There are "ye"s and "dinnae"s aplenty, but I'm not rolling my eyes every time the character speaks. Maybe it's different when you're the reader. You don't have to think long and hard about the character's dialogue; you just read it as part of the story and move on to the next plot point.

If you know the story is set in a certain place, then you don't need to bring attention to the fact that the people talk differently, right?

Comments

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

I agree that using the right words is more important than trying to capture the accent. Every place has its own terms and phrases and that really defines where a person lives.