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 Ling 131: Language & Style
 

 Topic 6 (session A) - Style and Style variation > Language Variation: Dialect > Task C

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Language Variation: Dialect

Task C - Wuthering Heights

Below is an excerpt from Emily Brontë's famous C19 novel Wuthering Heights. Nellie Dean is reading out a letter which Isabella Linton, who has recently married Heathcliff, has written to her. In this part of the letter Isabella reports part of a conversation she had with the servant Joseph. Read the extract carefully and then answer the questions below:

The contents of the pan began to boil, and he turned to plunge his hand into the bowl I conjectured that this preparation was probably for our supper, and, being hungry, I resolved it should be eatable; so, crying out sharply, "I'll make the porridge!" I removed the vessel out of his reach, and proceeded to take off my hat and riding habit. "Mr. Earnshaw," I continued, "directs me to wait on myself: I will. I'm not going to act the lady among you, for fear I should starve."
"Gooid Lord!" he muttered, sitting down, and stroking his ribbed stockings from the knee to the ankle. "If there's to be fresh ortherings - just when I getten used to two maisters, if I mun hev a mistress set oe'r my heead, it's like time to be flitting. I niver did think to see t' day that I mud lave th' owld place - but I doubt it's nigh at hand!"

(Emily Brontë More about Emily Bronte, 0000-0000 , Wuthering Heights, ch. 13, p. 128)

1. What dialect does Isabella write in and what dialect is Joseph represented as speaking?

2. What feature mark Joseph's dialect?

 


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