Thursday, March 22, 2012

What are some examples of local dialect in the first chapter of Of Mice and Men?

In Chapter 1 of Of Mice and Men, George uses local dialect in much of what he says. He tells Lennie, "You gonna be sick like you was last night" (page numbers  vary by edition). Steinbeck produces George's speech in a way that a ranch hand might have really sounded, using the word "gonna" instead of the more formal "going to" and "you was" instead of the correct "you were." Later, George says, “I ain’t sure it’s good water...Looks kinda scummy" (page numbers vary by edition). "Ain't" is a colloquialism, as is "kinda." He also says, "You never oughta drink water when it ain’t running, Lennie" (page numbers by edition). In this sentence, he uses "oughta" instead of "ought to" and uses several double negatives ("never" and "ain't), again sounding the way a real person might sound. Later, George says, "We could just as well of rode clear to the ranch if that bastard bus driver knew what he was talkin’ about. ‘Jes’ a little stretch down the highway,’ he says" (page numbers vary by edition). In this speech, George uses "of" instead of "have" and uses the incorrect verb "rode" instead of "ridden." In addition to using incorrect verb forms, he imitates the driver of the bus, using the pronunciation "jes" instead of "just." Steinbeck's use of dialect does not imply that George is unintelligent; George is clearly observant and astute. George's way of speaking does, however, imply that he is a working man who perhaps did not have the benefit of many years of formal education.

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