Monday, September 16, 2013

What are some linguacultural aspects of use of dialectisms in Mark Twain's works, for example in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Taking place in the late 1800s in relatively rural Missouri, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has some interesting linguacultural aspects. Obviously, there are many instances of slang, with phrases like "y'all" and "sivilize" and characters clearly pronouncing words such as "Missouruh" in some cases, which indicate the rural and uneducated state of the characters in the novel.
Additionally, and perhaps most strikingly, is the character "Injun Jim", who is occasionally referred to in offensive racial terms. These words and phrases have long-since passed out of favor in the English lexicon, but at the time, it was very culturally accepted to call people of color such offensive terms, which speaks to the state of the culture at the time, as well as their treatment of individuals of color.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the theme of the chapter Lead?

Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...