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Library reference: 200351273
2. Genre / subgenre
Literary fiction
3. Brief Synopsis
Humorous, satirical account of Samuel Adolphus Golightly‘s experiences as he is
introduced to life in his Cambridge College.
4. Overview of varieties / dialects
Lower class or less well-educated characters have their dialogue marked for dialect.
Stock characters have non-specific social markers (e.g. porter: ‗he were a rum, he
were, if ever there wor one‘ (p. 33); ‗ruffian‘: ―It was some people‘s heads, and not
hairs, as wanted a-greasin‘!‖ (p. 48)).
5. Variety #1: Mr Sneek, domestic staff (Golightly‘s ‗gyp‘)
5a. Sample of dialect
―Now, that‘s just Cribb, that is,‖ he said. ―Now you wouldn‘t believe it, sir—you
wouldn‘t, indeed—she takes no more notice of gen‘l‘m‘n a-callin‘ nor nothink at all.
Leaves ‗em up there, up them stairs, for instance, or down them stairs, as the case
might be, you know, sir, a hootin‘ and shoutin‘ their very insides out, till I says, ‗Now,
Cribb, Muster So-and-so‘s a-callin‘ of you.‖ (p. 54)
5b.1 Orthography
Respelling nothink; Muster
Elision gen‟l‟m‟n (particularly unusual to see elision marked three times on one
word); „em; a hootin‟ and shoutin‟ (note and not an)
Repetition of that and wouldn‟t
5b.2 Grammar
Non standard determiner them stairs
Non standard conjugation I says
Double (triple?) negative takes no more notice of gen‟l‟m‟n a-callin‟ nor nothink at
all.
5b.3 Vocabulary
Archaic use of a- a-callin‟; a hootin‟
Idiom a-callin‟ of you
5c. Dialect area represented
Social, rather than regional dialect (although suggestion of Cockney with nothink and
gawspel (p. 55))
5d. Density of dialect representation
Moderately-heavily marked
5e. Location of dialect
Dialect in dialogue only
5f. Characteristics of dialect speakers
Male, minor, domestic staff
5g. Consistency of representation
Consistent
5. Variety #2: Mrs Cribb, domestic staff (Golightly‘s bedmaker)
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