I'm working on a piece set in Nebraska and am planning a trip out there shortly but, in the interim, does anyone have any tips on writing for a Nebraskan dialect? I don't want to get into full on phonetics but any tips are welcome. Shortenin' words has been suggested, as well as a few uh's here and there too but any thoughts welcome. Best and thanks, CW
I don't remember Nebraskans having an accent, but I'm from Illinois so maybe we have the same accent? Shortened or slurred words like "gonna," "ain't," and "ya'll" are fairly common.
Well garsh, I dun rek'n y'all talk jist like uzn's Actually, it's kind of a bland speach, typically. No rhythm, not much slang that we can honestly call our own-- most slang that does show up is borrowed from TV or movies. I suppose the best single rule-- though admitedly an extremely generic one-- would be: Don't use a complex word when a simple one will do. One last thing. When you visit, brace yourself, cause it'll be like traveling back in time to 2003.
Actually, the "American" accent you hear on television IS the accent you want. Those "middle America" speech patterns are used because they are fairly easy for everyone else to understand. -Frank
Hah, thanks guys, some good starting points. I found a project on YouTube - The Worldwide Accent Project - which has a good selection of videos and soundbites from all over if anyone else finds themselves stuck.
I lived in NW Iowa for 7 years, a couple hours from Omaha, & never really noticed an accent that I wouldn't qualify as "southern"-esque, & even then was never the majority. Unless you're speaking more about rural NE, in which case I have no idea. I'd agree that it is more a distinction of dialect, than accent. I remember it being wierd that people said "soda" rather than "pop" in California - little things like that.
