Exploring Eye Dialect: What It Is And How To Translate It
What is your first reaction when you see a word written in an unusual way? You might assume it is a typo or a mistake due to poor grammar. But hold on—it might actually be an example of “eye dialect”.
Eye Dialect, What Is It?
The term “eye dialect” was first used by George Philip Krapp in 1925 to describe the deliberate use of misspellings based on standard pronunciations, such as “wanna” for “want to” or “dunno” for “don’t know”.
Eye dialect usually involves spelling changes that do not correspond to the phonological differences found in actual dialects. In fact, the term “eye dialect” refers to its visual rather than auditory impact: it appeals to the reader’s eyes rather than ears.
Eye dialect is commonly used to portray informal language style.
Eye dialect usually involves spelling changes that do not correspond to the phonological differences found in actual dialects. In fact, the term “eye dialect” refers to its visual rather than auditory impact: it appeals to the reader’s eyes rather than ears.
Eye dialect is commonly used to portray informal language style.
Phrases like “gonna”, “ain't”, or “yeah” are so familiar in English that they generally do not cause issues. However, it is highly recommended to use eye dialect with caution, especially to avoid non-standard spelling in formal or business writing.
Besides English, eye dialect exists in many other languages:
- Spanish (e.g., “wapo” instead of “guapo”).
- French (e.g., “ke” for “que” or “p'tit” for “petit”).
- Italian (e.g., “posizzione” in place of standard “posizione”).
How To Translate Eye Dialect
It is clear that the eye dialect is a challenge for translators. Translating it from one language to another appears a complex task, and no one-size-fits-all solution exists. Below, we review two main strategies for addressing this challenge: replacing eye dialect by standard spelling or finding the appropriate equivalent in the target language.
Standardization
The translator may choose to eliminate the eye dialect in the target language, thereby standardizing the spelling. This strategy is quite common, as removing eye dialect aligns with general translation practices. Translators often smooth out the distinctive features of the original language to produce a more neutral translated text, making it less apparent that it is a translation.
Moreover, some nations are more conservative than others when it comes to their language and may consider deviations from norms as an offense or linguistic threat.
Moreover, some nations are more conservative than others when it comes to their language and may consider deviations from norms as an offense or linguistic threat.
Finding The Right Equivalent
The second strategy is more challenging and time-consuming. Finding a good equivalent that aligns with the linguistic system of the target language is not easy.
The difficulty becomes more apparent when translating into a language where the discrepancy between spelling and pronunciation is less significant. This is particularly relevant for languages like Spanish or Italian, where eye dialect is often standardized instead of being translated.
The difficulty becomes more apparent when translating into a language where the discrepancy between spelling and pronunciation is less significant. This is particularly relevant for languages like Spanish or Italian, where eye dialect is often standardized instead of being translated.
Conclusion
Although many consider non-standard spelling to be a "bad" thing, eye dialect keeps popping up in texts, with some writers keen to use it and viewing it positively. In general, eye dialect can make a valuable contribution to dialect writing when used appropriately.