Vernacular Dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God
Vernacular Dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston, the spoken words of the characters are often simple and rough. Hurston uses vernacular dialect in order to preserve the culture of southern blacks in the early twentieth century. The author’s use of dialect in the novel demonstrates the difference between Janie’s relationship with Jody and Janie’s relationship with Tea Cake. When Janie is married to Jody, few conversations between the two of them are described using dialogue. Instead, the narrator simply explains Janie’s life with Jody and their interactions. When Janie is with Tea Cake, the author chooses to explain their relationship through the use of dialogue. Most of the time Janie spends with Tea Cake is shown through the conversations they have with one another. This demonstrates the connection and love between Tea Cake and Janie and the lack thereof in Janie’s relationship with Jody. The language in the novel also serves to demonstrate the value Janie places upon truth in language. Throughout the novel, the narrator speaks condescendingly about those who sit on their porches and gossip. She views gossip as speech without substance, and gossip is portrayed in a negative light. The language itself is not as important as the sincerity behind the words. For the most part, in the novel, the language is most powerful when there is truth behind it. The author’s use of speech patterns allows the reader to relate to the characters in the novel. The reader can really get the feeling of the speech because reading it is just like listening to it. Throughout the novel, Hurston’s use of folkloric imagery within the dialogue evokes the southern black culture. She uses phrases like “porch sitters”, “walking drum tune”, and “a lost ball in de high grass.” Storytelling or “lying” was a major part of this culture, and a major part of the novel. The men in Eatonville sit on their porches “playing