Dialect and its Impact on the Reader Katelyn White College

All different parts of the world speak in their own unique way. Dialect can change based off the region you are in, the family you are a part of, the way you were taught, and the society you were brought up in. Many authors write with a certain dialect that pertains to the setting of their story. “The Luck of Roaring Camp” by Bret Harte represents dialect that pertains to the typical California Gold Rush 49’er. “The Goophered Grapevine” by Charles Chesnutt represents language from a former southern African American slave, while also showing dialect from a white well-educated male. By analyzing the dialect from two stories whose settings are completely different, readers can gain a further understanding of how the citizens of that society would have spoken and how it is specific to their regional origination.

The setting of “The Luck of Roaring Camp” speaks well into why the characters talk the way they do. The story is based off the California Gold Rush in the early 1850’s. The men in the story aren’t necessarily well educated and proper—which is shown in the way they speak. They use a lot of slang that was typical of the hardworking man at the time. This is demonstrated when one of the characters Kentuck says, “Go in there,...