Every character in a book or script has a unique rhythm and syntax. The way people speak reveals their character and helps us as readers know who's who. Some samples:
"What do I want for lunch? You're asking me?"
"Do youse guys wanna pasty?"
"Sure and I couldn't eat a pig in a blanket without a beer, boyo."
"What should I eat to lunch?"
"Y'all want some hominy and grits? That what my Mama makes."
etc. etc.
You should be able to detect nationality and regionality in the vocabulary and syntax. . In real conversation, people seldom speak more than three sentences, and often they are incomplete, phrases, fragments.
I once tutored a Hawaiian swimmer in basic English and discovered that he didn't know what a complete sentence was. He spoke only in phases and fragments. Put on paper, it wouldn't pass muster.
In my latest book, "White Slave,"one of the characters is a Swedish girl, Sonja, whose speech is a translation from Swedish, so she makes some typical errors. I had to think what she would be saying if it were Swedish and then translate it to her limited English. BTW, "White Slave" has an introductory price only on the Kindle list for 99 cents. In a few weeks that offer will end and the price will go back up to my standard $4.95. Act now and you can see how Sonja speaks.
No comments:
Post a Comment