One stop shop for dialects

So... is there anywhere in the net that compiles a resource for writers regarding different english dialects? maybe like, a list of common words and sample sentences?

By dialect, I mean like the standard, Ye Olde Butchered English unbutchered, British English and American English dialects right down to the Sassy Black Woman talk and Red Neck speak.

Of course, I can just "look for it myself". But problem is, I don't know what to look for to find what i want!

To explain, when i look for those. I get results kinda like when you want too look for different interpretations of The Mad Hatter and google feeds you Tim Burton's and Disney's. They're related to what you're looking for, but not exactly what you need.

Just to help us out with narrowing your search, what search terms have you tried? Can you give some examples?

Not sure what you mean, but here were some of the keywords I googled.

• redneck speak gets me:
  • http://www.countryhumor.com/redneck/dictionary.htm — okay, so the sample sentences are there. but it's not much help if it's still normal english with redneck words shoehorned in. where's the Funetik Aksent?
  • http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_may2001/Redneck_101.htm — same
• writing character voice old english — nothing useful at all.
• black woman talk — nothing I can use at all.

As for the mad hatter comparison, imagine specifying that you do not want Disney, Tim Burton, or American Mcgee The Mad Hatter. and yet you still get them among the results.

As for "examples", do you mean I give examples of the kind of articles I want?

• http://filmscriptwriting.com/givingyourcharacterauniquevoice.html — yeah... useful, tells you how, but not "what". as in what voices you can make them have, what regional voices, etc.
• http://www.anovelwritingsite.com/2010/02/writing-lesson-24-unique-character-voices/ — same as above
• https://suite.io/jennifer-jensen/p2725q — Close! but not close enough. it's just examples and not really exhaustive.

To further explain what I want. I'm looking for a guide in writing character "voices"— i.e. the way they speak— like how a kid speak simple sentences. And Sassy Black Woman speeks wit a DAYum DEEP AKsent baby! And a redneck speeks layk he's ahways a-chewin' bubbuhgum while rahdin' he's truck. And a British gentleman in a lift eats a biscuit and drinks a bloody tea^note see? I can't do British voice at all.

There are many guides telling you to do this, but I've never found one that details how to do them specifically. Be it either by giving lots of examples or rules or linking to resources.

edited 16th May '14 2:40:16 PM by ShanghaiSlave

The best advice I can give you is just listen to real accents and dialects, then translate them to your characters' dialogue.

If you're looking for serious articles and resources, it's best to avoid colloquialisms like "redneck speak" or "black woman talk." Try searching with more academic-sounding keywords like "Texas accent soundbites" or "African American Vernacular English" (also known as Ebonics).

hmm. any recommended shows that feature those? preferably not movies. because those are too damn long.

As for keywords, as i said, I didn't know what to search, I'm not a native english speaker. what are other useful keywords for the stuff I'm looking for?

If you're looking for Texas and Deep South accents, I haven't seen enough shows with them. Although I imagine shows set in those areas would be a good place to start. The Walking Dead and King of the Hill come to mind.

Also, Wikipedia has lots of articles on different accents:

• Appalachia
• Baltimore
• Boston
• Cajun
• California
• Central Pennsylvania
• General American
• Inland Northern American
• Midland American
• Minnesota
• New England
• New Jersey
• New York
• Northeast Pennsylvania
• Ozark (Arkansas)
• Pacific Northwest
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Southern
• Texan
• Tidewater
• Vermont
• Western
• Yooper

And finally, go check out American Accents here on TV Tropes.

I see, so the "one stop shop" doesn't exist.

anyway, I didn't even know we had American Accents. And those wikipedia links... I guess they'll do for now.

And I've seen a bit of The Walking Dead, and didn't undestand much of it thanks to everyone's accent. So yeah, that's one good start. Thanks.

I hope you're not planning on typing out those accents. And I say this as someone from Texas who would probably sound weird to a lot of people. It's one thing to hear an accent, but having to read one is just incredibly awkward.

I will type it unless the person is supposed to say something serious. Because you're absolutely right. I believe the fact that their accent was previously written out will make the readers read whatever they say in their established accent. especially if Lampshaded.

You don't necessarily have to write out the accent itself. Just make sure people read the dialect (like word choice) and throw in a few phonetic quirks for flavor.

There's a book called 'Oxford Guide to World English' (Tom Mc Arthur, 2003). It's more a pronunciation and usage guide than a list of slang and idioms native to one culture or another, though.

Getting the correct vocubulary and idiom is most important as using the wrong turn of phrase can be very jarring.

A case in point being Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series set in Victorian England but having the characters lapsing into American idiom (e.g. "hit him upside the head").

Me? Well I agree with the word choice bit all the way, but Shanghai sounded willing to try Phonetic Dialects earlier.

A careful, readable combination of both's best, I think. Especially if it's in first-person, and the narrator actually has some trouble understanding some words. (I'm thinking Man-Of-Bats here.)