Chapters 8 11 Dialect: A dialect is a regional variation of language. An author often will write dialogue in dialect so that readers can get a sense of how the characters sound. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was one of the first American novels to make use of the common, everyday language of ordinary people. At the beginning of the book, Mark Twain writes: In this book a number of dialects are used, to wit: the Missouri Negro dialect; the extremest form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect; the ordinary Pike County dialect; and four modified varieties of this last. Each of the lines below were spoken by Jim. These sentences are rendered in what Mark Twain called the Missouri Negro dialect. Rewrite each of the sentences below using standard spelling and grammar rules. 1. Yo ole father doan know yit what he s a-gwyne to do. 2. You go en git in de river ag in, whah you b longs, en doan do nuffin to Ole Jim, at uz alwuz yo fren. 3.... one night I creeps to de do pooty late, en de do warn t quite shet, en I hear old missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans,... 22 1996 Progeny Press
4. I tuck out en shin down de hill, en spec to steal a skift long de sho som ers bove town,... 5. I see a light a-comin round de p int bymeby, so I wade in en shove a log ahead o me en swum more n half-way acrost de river,... 6.... I swum to de stern uv it en tuck a-holt. 7. Nuffin never come of it. I couldn manage to k leck dat money no way. Each of the following lines are examples of the Pike County dialect. Rewrite each of the sentences below using standard spelling and grammar rules. 8. I ain t a-going to tell, and I aint a-going back there, anyways. So, now, le s know all about it. 9. We ve heard considerable about these goings-on down in Hookerville, but we don t know who twas that killed Huck Finn. 10. Yes, I reckon so, m. I don t see nothing in the way of it. 11. I hain t seen any smoke sence, so I reckon maybe he s gone,... 12. Please to don t poke fun at a poor girl like me, mum. 1996 Progeny Press 23
Both dialects in the previous exercise have their own peculiar sets of grammar rules. Paying close attention to these rules, write a page of imaginary dialogue between Huck and Jim. Use the appropriate dialect for each character. You may need to review more sections of dialogue from the text. Questions: 1. After Huck explains to Jim how he made his escape from Pap, Jim pays Huck a high compliment. What does he say? 2. How does Jim s manner of escape demonstrate his intelligence? 3. What gashly discovery does Jim make in the floating house? What does he tell Huck? 4. In Chapter 11 Huck dresses up as a girl and paddles over to St. Petersburg to find out if there is any news about himself and Jim. Huck makes up a name and story for himself when talking with Judith Loftus. This is the first of many of his personas in the novel. What story does he tell Mrs. Loftus? 24 1996 Progeny Press
5. Judith Loftus deduces that Huck is not who he claims to be. List four things she notices that help her reach this conclusion. 6. How does Judith Loftus deduce that Jim is hiding on Jackson s Island? 7. Why do Huck and Jim leave the island that night? Analysis: 8. Both Huck and Jim believe many superstitions. List at least four of them below. 1996 Progeny Press 25
9. Some folk beliefs may be more than superstition; a few may have a basis in fact. Do any of Huck s or Jim s beliefs seem to have a reasonable basis? Explain. What are some popular superstitions you have heard? Dig Deeper: 10. In Chapter 8, what does Huck conclude about the usefulness or power of prayer? Do you agree with Huck? 11. Read Isaiah 1:15 17. These verses seem to indicate that there are times when God will not listen to our prayers. According to these verses, what does God want his people to do before he will listen to them? 12. If Huck came to you and said that he didn t think God would listen to his prayers, what would you tell him to do? 26 1996 Progeny Press