Printable Version of Topic

Click here to view this topic in its original format

Mosaic Musings...interactive poetry reviews _ ARCHIVES -> Poetry for Crit Prior to 2011 _ Dialect

Posted by: Don May 21 07, 08:14

Dialect

Ah ain’t much fur dieleck
‘cause ah cain’t do Hoosier Riley
nor not a Dayton Dunbar.

T’once sawd a Shake speered play
ta see lotsa trounce ‘n flounce
buy stage han’s pertenden parts.

‘n he’rd their iambic mouths
talk’n funny no’count words
mezmorsized from paper script.

Ah ain’t much for dieleck
‘cause ah din’t did ‘nuff school
to larn ‘bout cipher crypt.

Ref: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

Posted by: laryalee May 22 07, 01:02

This is so funny, Don...
especially "Shake speered play"!
(Mind you, I did wonder how "iambic"
came out straight...)

This reminded me of a site I found long
ago...it's still there, and it's a hoot:

http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/

Lary

Posted by: bbnixon May 22 07, 06:17

Don,

I too loved the humor of this piece...

Yesterday I googled both Riley and Dunbar
and read some of thier poems.

This is my favorite part. Very Cool beans...

T’once sawd a Shake speered play
ta see lotsa trounce ‘n flounce
buy stage han’s pertenden parts.

I enjoyed it very much...no nits from me...

Hope you have a wonderful day

:) brenda

Posted by: Kathy May 22 07, 06:30

Well done, Don. I'm not familiar with the dialect, nor those in the translater Lary linked us too. I posted a few words, Lary, and was surprised. Thanks for that.

I also enjoyed the bit about the Shake speered play. Very funny. More please. -claps hands-

Posted by: Eisa May 22 07, 09:22

Oh Don! -- how clever. I wouldn't know where to start with something like this. I also liked "Shake speered play"! LOL! I'll have to look up that link.

Thanks for sharing

Snow

Posted by: merganser May 22 07, 14:42

Massuh Dunbar'd be rite proud a ya, son.
Can't say's i's read Riley
but I'm guessin' e'd be pleezed to.

Posted by: Don May 22 07, 14:59

Dear merganser,

Since yo stats say yo is rightly fresh new, I most welcomes you to the fray.

Hopes you hang around for awhile and stay.

Don

Posted by: Judi May 24 07, 15:39

This is tooo funny! I loved it! Judy

Posted by: JaxMyth May 26 07, 08:16

A hoot Don,

You may enjoy this by Australia's own 'dialectician' C.J.Dennis:

http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/denniscj/sbloke/play.html

Regards,

Jax

Posted by: Psyche Jun 5 07, 15:50

Wow, Don, this is fantastically amusing and clever.

I'm SO glad I trounced n'flounced in 'ere....!!!

We all seem to have the same favorite stanza, but the whole thing is brilliant. To think I can hardly write a decent poem in 'proper' English, and YOU can give yourself (and us) these scarce luxuries.

Of course I have no nits! I'll just do some homework on your references below.

Cheers, Syl ***

Posted by: Don Jun 5 07, 16:15

Wow Psyche,

A big thank you. If one outside the USA can read it and be impressed, then I am estatic. I took it to a writers club. A couple of members expressed that they heard it fine, but couldn't reading it very well.

I am entering it in a few contests.

Paul Dunbar wrote straight and with dialect. So did Whitcomb Riley, but Riley's dialect duplicated how country farmers in Indiana talked at that time.

Don

Posted by: Psyche Jun 11 07, 12:36

Hi there, Don!
Glad you're estatic! Nonetheless, as I seldom speak or read aloud in English nowadays, in my case I find it far easier to understand the written word, even if it's in dialect. I was fortunate to have a good English education at a bilingual school in Buenos Aires, where the teachers were 'imported Brits'....and of course, my parents always spoke English to me, and I was introduced to poetry very young, by my sweet mother. The good ol' days...hmmm.... ;-)

It's probable that I wouldn't have understood much of your work when they read it aloud at your
writers' club...but I shan't underestimate my powers too much, since I find I have a good ear for American & Brit dialogue when I go to the movies. I have to laugh at the ridiculous Spanish subtitles, especially in comedy.

Anyway, the main point is that your poem is exceedingly clever and amusing, right? I'm glad you're entering it in contests, and wish you luck!

I still haven't checked "the other guys"... may do, we'll see.
Cheers, Syl ***

QUOTE (Don @ Jun 5 07, 23:15 ) [snapback]97593[/snapback]

Posted by: Don Jun 11 07, 14:59

Thank yee veryilee much Sylvia,

The two poets referenced are probably reasonably local. When your town or backward state hasn't much to brag about, some homeboy poets get high billing.

Don

Posted by: Don Jun 12 07, 10:09

Hi laryalee,

You are among majority of persons pleased with "Dialect." I ran "Iambic" through the dialect conversion link you provided. Iambic = Iamic. Since intended audience is literary--not those that speak it--I did change "iambic" to "iambig." In context, I am certain you see why.

Who would have guessed that a dialect converter lived on the Web? It would be nice if it had more dialects, but that would detract from the truely skilled that can write dialects fluently.

bbnixon,

Thank you for your appreciation. Thanks for looking at both poets. As a reader to sixth graders to promote poetry, I picked Riley to expose them to true dialect. I picked Dunbar in February to commemorate Black month.

Kathy,

Thank you for your appreciation. The dialect is not true, but intended for readers of literary bent. I'll try to create at least one more under your encouragement.

Eisa,

Thank you very much. I too normally would not know where to start. I woke up one morning and there it was on our nightstand. Perhaps an epiphany?

merganser,

Interesting that you mentioned Paul Dunbar as our writer's club members predominantly compared the dialect to Dunbar's. I am not convinced they really knew, but the physical location of the club is a stones throw from Dunbar's hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

Judi,

Is it possible to be too humorous?

JaxMyth,

Your link to C.J. Dennis is sincerely appreciated. His characters, such as Doreen, are well composed. His perfomances surely were a joy.

Psyche,

Again, thank you for expressing appreciation. Upon contemplation, the poem, "Dialect," is very much a sight as well as sound poem. Or as the polish named detective on the defunct "Barny Miller" TV comedy sitcom often said about his last name, "It's pronounced just like it's spelled."

Sincere thanks to everyone, which includes no comment viewers.

Don

Posted by: Orion Jun 17 07, 14:15

Oh Don!

This is to love!

And I was pleased to see that Lary had suggested visiting The Dialectizer on the web. It is such a hoot to run a poem through that! Talk about guaranteed laughs there, too.

Enjoyed every second here.
Jan

Posted by: Don Jun 17 07, 14:39

Hi Orion,

A very sincere thank you. At my writer's club one English professor was concerned about being truly representative of a dialect. I mentioned that software on the web is available to convert to dialect. A couple of others issued a muffled groan. The group came around to grasping the humor rather than the irony.

The "hoot" aspect is impossible to ignore.

Don