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Southern Dialect in William Faulkner's Works The purpose of every writer is to create a personal world and make the reader feel all of its aspects and peculiarities. The works of William Faulkner directly reflect his own living experience and therefore appeal to the readers all over the world. The writer lived in the delta of Mississippi and has witnessed many events, which happened there after the Civil War. Faulkner's stories focus on the South-eastern United States at a time period when old traditions began to clash with new ideals. This is an era in American history with which most people can quickly identify, whether they are Southern or not. The Such in Faulkner's wrk's is complete with all the expected features: an agricultural society, Suthern belles and gentlemen, racial tennis, and especially the can characteristics f Suthern speech.
Faulkner strays frm the normal costs f Northern literature t present a realistic portrait f the Such that he grew up in. In ding s, he cme's up with an excellent sample f the Suthern language, including linguistic qualities f bth black and white speech. Faulkner establishes a unique literary vice, which is recognizable due t variances frm Standard English in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical frm, while juxtaposing speech elements foreign t any nt familiar with Suthern heritage. The wrk's f William Faulkner succeed in creating a literary dialect, which is relatively consistent thought all f his series. In Faulkner's writing, this can be described by such traits as an intestinal misspelling, like marster fr master, r in the use f Miss and with the given first name f a female, as in Miss Care.
These, amongst countless ther examples, are distinctly Suthern speech traditions. Any nt frm the Such may need explanations f much f Faulkner's prnunciatin's, wrd's, usages, and language costs, which the author himself takes fr granted. Because Faulkner has employed such a vast and complex Suthern dialect in his series, the language he uses has become a microcosm f Suthern language as a we. In Faulkner, this local speech is a mixture f Suthern American and Near dialogue with all the flare frm Virginia t Louisiana, Florida t Texas (Brown 2). Faulkner's dialect is effective bth as a literary device and as a link between the American English language and American culture and history, specifically in the Southeast. The Such is probably the mst linguistically diversified part f the nation.
Blacks and whites frm Atlanta t Charles t Nashville speak a different frm f Standard English in a different version f the Suthern accent. Part f this linguistic diversity is reflected in the way that the Suthern aristocracy can shift nt nly vocabulary and pronunciation, but even grammar, according t the audience ( (1) McDavid 219). This technique is very much alive in Faulkner's wrk. Fr example, in The Rivers, the upper-class grandfather character Bss is an educated man f high social standing in the community. Yet, when he is in the company f nly his grand Lucius, as part f a lecture, he says the safe things aint always the best things ( (2) Faulkner 117). Thought the bk, Best speech me frm the format t the informal, largely depending n the intimacy he feels with the person r persn's t whm he is speaking.
Such a case illustrates that Faulkner is well aware f the prestige nrm's that exist in Suthern speech, and he takes advantage f this knowledge. Faulkner's characters reveal a tendency t speak in a slang-like r nn-prescriptive grammar when they covers with ther characters that they know well, free apparent in the frm f jobs and metaphorical language. Similarly t the aristocratic speaker, the less educated Suthern speaker free attempts t improve his r her speech when in a format setting. McDavid asserts that the can way t d s is by using bigger wrd's and longer sentences, sometimes resulting in the ridiculous ( (2) McDavid 265).
A gd example f such in Faulkner course in As I Lay Dying when Anse, a rural, farming man, attempts t send el quent at a time f utmost solemnity. During a funeral speech, Anse states the following: The somebody yu was yung with and yu green ld in her and she green ld in yu, seeing the ld coming n and it was the ne somebody yu could hear say it dnt matter and know it was the truth use the hard world and all a mans grief and trials ( (1) Faulkner 511). It is bus that Anse intends t speak finally in this situation, thus Faulkner files Mc Davids rule f Suthern speech abut the elongation f sentences and its irregular result. This passage is successful in tw ways. First, it reveals a realistic trait can in the Southeast, reflecting the solidarity nrm based n local nn-standard speech. Send, it serves as a very powerful literary technique because the rating captures the high level f sincerity in the speaking character.
Anther highly can frm f Suthern dialect, which is free seen in Faulkner's writing, is the presence f African American speech features. There are numerous examples f black speech in Faulkner that full linguistic patterns. However, it is the purpose f this essay t view nly a few f the mst can. Alpha Smith defines the mst general rule f Suthern Near speech as the tendency t prince wrd's like mre, stre, fur, and flr with the r send, as in m, st, f, and fl (Smith 365).
Faulkner hld's true t this generalization by narrating similar speech frm the black characters in his bks. Fr instance, in As I Lay Dying, the character Cash fees a statement, which prices Faulkner's conformity t this Black English nrm when he says, I aint s sh that ere a man has the right t say what is crazy and what aint ( (1) Faulkner 221). Further, linguists such as Raven and Virginia McDavid have gathered that the list and least educated, as well as many Near informants in their Suthern language studies have demonstrated dominant usage f such ungrammatical verb past tenses as div fr dive, green fr get, and riz fr rise ( (3) McDavid 264 - 280). Accordingly, in Faulkner's The Send and the Fury, there is an immense sign n the Near Send Baptist Church which reads He Is Ris. Faulkner als depicts the vernacular f Suthern blacks in his plant use f repetition and Biblical allusion.
It has been new by researchers f Suthern linguistics that a strong relationship exists between the rituals f black churches and everyday black speech costs. Examples f this relationship include religious reference, lng pauses, swaying and gesturing, and repetition (Jobs-Jackson 115 - 124). Although it is impossible t identify with many f these aspects f black speech while reading wrd's n a page, it is clear that Faulkner takes advantage f the aspects that the readers can detect. Fr instance, all f his wrk's display abundant uses f the wrd's Jesus, heaven, and crucifixion, and sometimes chir hymns such as all files talkin but heaven aint gwine dar appear in the speech f black characters (Brown 19 - 222). Much f Faulkner's writing has viewed blacks humanely, giving them a significant vice in the Suthern American culture. However, fr the mst part, the literature reflects the general social attitude towards blacks at the time, which renders their language substandard and basically interior t that f mst whites.
In the series f Faulkner, the author writes in his natural language, which he learned growing up in Mississippi. This language, bogusly, is what constitutes his literary dialect. Nevertheless, a case bservatin f the linguistic style f his writing reveals exactly hw he establishes this unconventional dialect. Primarily, Faulkner utilizes the technique f intestinal variation f wrd's frm Standard English rthgraphy r, t be mre specific, he purposefully spells wrd's incorrectly. The examples f this in his wrk's car n a page-by-page basis.
Sme f the mre can and peculiar, curing in mre than just ne f his series, are Ferginny fr Virginia, rick lick fr reflect r remember, and gwine r gay fr ging t (Brown 19 - 222). Anther similar pronunciation feature f Faulkner's wrk is the combining f tw like wrd's t create a new wrd with a new spelling. Tw examples f this actin are aggravate, a blend f aggravate and price, and agent, used as a combination f and and trent (Brown 19). In addition t these, Faulkner als plays n language variation by exhibiting wrd's r expressions t which the average English speaker can possible know the meaning. Wrd's like jumper fr denim jacket and pants r dragon fr a Ku Klux Klansman, and expressions such as struck and jumped t signify picking up the scent f and then killing a deer, fall int this category (Brown 19 - 222).
Finally, t establish his literary dialect, Faulkner ensures that grammatical frm's are used that d nt appear in the textbooks - except as awful warnings (Ives 147). Many f these have already been discussed are, but several ther's appear in the writing as in the multiple cases f double negatives, eliminating the g frm wrd's ending in -ing, and placing the wrd like at the end f adjectives fr emphasis (as in paper-like, and quick-like). In short, mst f these features, and the local dialect as a we, can be seen in such passages as the following frm As I Lay Dying: I know that ld Marster will care fr me as fr ere a sparrow that falls ( (1) Faulkner 440). This quotation is grammatically unsound, it contains unusual wrd spelling and pronunciation, and it als makes use f a seemingly foreign phrase r saying. Frm the start, what also all f these characteristics have in can is that they are chiefly reflections f the Suthern Land dialect, and therefore they make Faulkner's literature a symbol f that geographical regin and culture as a we. Sme important questions arise when examining the language f Faulkner r any similarly dialect-rented author.
These questions surround the actual nature f a dialect, and the way in which it is manifested by the writer n t the page. The literary dialect in the wrk's f William Faulkner is also a can-cpy f the Suthern dialect he truly speaks. Faulkner's literary dialect is consistent with several f the prevailing trends f Suthern speech. Fr ne, it support the the f Suthern language diversity due t the fact that Faulkner's is a distinctly Suthern dialect, yet has many differences frm ther Suthern dialects, including the use f phrases like trade days (days set aside fr auctioning) nly used in the immediate area (Brown 202). Als, Faulkner's writing presents the large quantity f archaic and for utterances in the Near dialect, which are the result f years f insufficient educational ppr tunity.
These dialectic wrd's, and with does f ther's appearing in Faulkner's series, are defined as Suthern in nature in the Dictionary f American Regional English (DARE). Faulkner, quite simply, delineates a place rich in the tradition and pride f the average Suthern. Consequently, the speech in his text als carries sme f the stigmas attached t Suthern life itself. First and forest f these blemishes is the pervading tne f racism, automated by the appearance f the wrd nigger in practically all f Faulkner's wrk's. Although the wrd des represent the authenticity f Faulkner's dialect, it will always carry with it an arresting level f shame and disgrace. The feeling f racism is perpetuated by the fact that mst f the Near speech in Faulkner is slightly less standard than white speech, giving it a hint f inferiority.
Although Faulkner express the issue f racism with an pen mind and even attempts t repudiate sme f the negative contains associated with blacks, his genuine Suthern true can completely detach frm the very real evils f racial injustice in Suthern American history. Finally, the dialect in these series, in all f its riginality, continues t upheld the popular belief that Suthern English is, in many instances, bad English employed by less intelligent speakers. This setback is mainly attributable in Faulkner's writing t the double negatives, use f aint, and use f third person dnt. Contrary t these negative penis however, mst f the cases f bad grammar here are actually remnants f archaic paper English rather than unintelligent corrupting f modern English. Thus Faulkner's storytelling dialect creates a lasting impression f his Suthern world, encompassing bth the can and unique, the positive and the negative. In demonstrating his ability t author such a realistic, yet regional world, drawing n his wn natural dialect.
Works Cited Brown, Calvin S. A Glossary of Faulkner's South. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976. Dictionary of American Regional English. New York: Oxford Press, 1989. Faulkner, William. (1) As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury.
New York: The Modern Library, 1966. Faulkner, William. (2) The Rivers. New York: Random House, 1982. Jones-Jackson, Patricia. Let the Church Say Amen: The Language of Religious Rituals in Coastal South Carolina. Crucible of Carolina: Essays in the Development of Gullah Language and Culture.
Ed. Michael Montgomery. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1994. 115 - 124. McDavid, Raven I. , Jr. (1) Dialectology: Where Linguistics Meets the People.
The Emory University Quarterly XXIII (Winter, 1967), 219. McDavid, Raven I. , Jr. (2) Go Slow in Ethnic Attribution: Geographic Mobility and Dialect Prejudices. Varieties of Present-Day English. Ed. Richard W. Bailey and Jay L.
Robinson. New York: Macmillan Company, 1973. 258 - 270. McDavid, Raven I. , Jr. , and Virginia McDavid. (3) Kentucky Verb Forms. Montgomery and Bailey, 1986. 264 - 293. Smith, Alphonso. Cambridge History of American Literature.
New York: Macmillan Company, 1951.
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