A TV Network in Malaysia in the 80's used to show Shakespeare plays in the afternoon, and I remember watching quite a number of them. What did not occur to me then, was that many of these characters were non-British yet they all spoke with British accents and used English expressions in their manner of speech. You will know what I mean if you watch a scene from Act II of Anthony and Cleopatra. I must admit, I also tend to write dialogue for my characters in a formal manner because I have grown up reading classics. When I do read a local book, I will read them in the original language. So writing colloquial dialogue in English is quite awkward for me.
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Today's tips are purely my opinion. Different writers will use different methods to come up with a style that is comfortable for them. Maybe you already have your own style, but you are not sure if it is best. Let me assure you that there is no best style in this day and age, because the readers of English today come from many cultures. So the best thing to do is to write in a manner that is most comfortable for you.
1. Dialogue
How many ways can I make a character ask a question?
- The formal way is: What do you mean by saying that?
- A contemporary style will be: What are you saying? or
- A local one: Why you say that?
The risk, I think, in using the local colloquial expression is that, it is often used to define characters who are less refined or educated when a work is written in the formal style. In my mind anyway, it is very difficult to write about an intelligent character who speaks in bad English. I think that this is a little unfair because some dialogue loses its humour or potency when not expressed in its original local form.
If you wish to study this method further, I suggest that you read Zen Cho's work. She is a writer from Malaysia, who also happens to be an excellent storyteller with a strong sense of humour. I feel that she has mastered this technique perfectly without sacrificing the heroic feel or the refined manners of her characters.
The worry about writing English in a colloquial manner is that, it might make a non local reader struggle to understand the meaning of some expressions. I am of the opinion that even if the dialogue is hard to understand, whatever happens in the scene can be designed to be self-evident. For example, you can write a whole page of two characters shouting at each other using colloquial expressions while taking turns pointing to a young child who is standing to the side watching them. Most readers will be able to pick up the gist of the argument just from the nouns in the dialogue. Making them point to the child now and then helps show the reason for their argument.
2. General Idioms
Another way to add local flavour to your manuscript is to use local idioms and metaphors. Keep in mind that this area is usually split into general phrases and phrases that are folklore or customs based.
The meaning behind general phrases are usually easy to bring across because we all go through the same joys and struggles, even if we use different words to express them. For example the idea behind the metaphor 'between a rock and a hard place' is the same as the Iban version of 'a wild cat on land, a crocodile in the water'. Just because something sounds unusual or different, does not mean that a non-local reader cannot catch the gist of your meaning. I personally prefer using a local idiom to one that is more commonly known. I feel that it gives my work a more authentic feel. I mean, how much more specific to Sarawak is a crocodile and a wild cat.
There is no reason not to trust a reader's skill of interpreting meaning. Unless of course you are writing for young children, most readers who have reached a certain level of reading skill will have no problem associating new expressions with something they already know. This aptitude for word association is in fact a basic part of the IQ test.
Another advantage is that, a local idiom will not be invisible to the reader because it will help them think of a common situation from a slightly different perspective. For example the phrase 'the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak' versus the Iban version of 'the mouth speaks, but the knee does not respond' may be used in similar manner, but there is a slight difference in nuance. This slight difference is not an advantage that a writer should ignore, especially if, like me, you are writing a culturally specific story.
3. Folklore or Custom Based Idioms
The other form of phrases are ones based on folklore or customs.
Folklore characters tend to be pretty well established in the local psyche. Customs are also ingrained so using an idiom that is folklore or custom based can be confusing for a non local. One way is to use footnotes, I guess. But I find that this technique can disturb the flow of reading. Instead of footnotes, I will create situations that will explain this idiom through context. For example, 'He keeps giving money to others but not to his own children. He's just like the gibbon that keeps giving away half of its tail.' This idiom is based on the folk story that the gibbon used to have a long, gorgeous tail. Each time an animal with no tail came to it and asked for a share of its tail, it would fold the remaining tail in half, cut it off and give it away. The gibbon continued doing this until there was nothing but a stump left.
Of course, using such an expression can be troublesome because you need to plan for a way to insert the folklore somewhere in the manuscript. Usually I will just use the dialogue as above and ignore telling the folklore anywhere. The important thing is the conversation at the heat of the moment anyway, so as long as I feel that I have got the meaning across, I will not bother to explain the idiom or metaphor.
In the end, no matter your choice, the most important thing is the story itself. Using colloquial dialogue and local idioms may refine your story, make it more interesting or unique. Regardless, write in a way that is natural to you. If you have a serious tone, it will be difficult for you to write in a joking tone. The colloquial form is usually light-hearted and playful. Don't be afraid to experiment. Most of us are typing our manuscript into a personal computer or laptop anyway, so you can always experiment for a bit to understand what style is comfortable for you. Remember, there is no right or wrong style, because different styles cater to different groups of readers.
Just start writing, keep writing. Good luck.
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