realistic teen dialogue

Discussion in 'Dialogue Development' started by tumblingdice, May 25, 2016.

  1. Shattered Shields

    Shattered Shields Gratsa!

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    1. Keep the slang to a minimum. Use 'like' in place of 'said' often. Example- "And he was like-". Mostly when I was in high school the closest thing we came to slang was references to movies and TV. In-group jokes were a thing too.
    2. The only people that sagged their pants were the ones everybody thought would become drug dealers after high school. It was definitely not the cool thing to do. The cool clothes depended on the group. Rednecks wore flannel, Lacrosse players often wore their jerseys. If you had your own style that looked decent, you were fine. For girls, it was different, though I don't completely know how.
    3. There were definitely clicks. In my HS we had rednecks, jocks, the black kids kinda kept to themselves (they weren't segregated or anything though). Mainly it was friend groups that formed the divides.

    Adolescence has changed. The smart kids are the enviable ones, the outfits are better to be smart, than ragged and sagging. The most popular ones were made based on charisma, smarts, and who their friends were. Of course, attractiveness played a factor as well. It always does.
     
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  2. tumblingdice

    tumblingdice Member

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    @jannert Great insight on teen psychology, all great points I'll keep in mind :). I think I've got the voices of most characters by now, it's the unpopular kids I'm struggling with, for some reason. I'm not that old, so I don't know why I can't seem to remember how we talked back then (yes, I was unpopular, big secret revealed :D). For a fanfiction it's a hell of characterization I have to do because the canon characters appeared for like 2 episodes and the others are all OCs. It's a pre-canon type of fanfic.

    @Sifunkle Completely agree on the inside-jokes type of slang, I remember it from school myself. If my English abilities are sufficient I'll create unique terms for my story.
    Re: pop culture. I remember in my school a lot of kids called themselves "P.I.M.Ps" because of the 50 Cent song :supergrin:. I'm gonna have to dig deeper into early 2000s tv shows and movies, though.

    Agree an all the other points, but could you elaborate more on the last one (tendency to overuse and misuse new words)? Thanks in advance.

    Totally radical! *puts on shades* :D

    Hm, really? I find that the dialogue is supposed to be uncomfortable to read because we're adults and we tend to be annoyed by teens (well, I am :supergrin:). When I was 15 I read a novel that centered around teenagers in the 50s. I loved the author's use of teen-speak and that the characters were basically morons. But it had a certain charm, I was rooting for those morons because I recognized myself and some classmates in them.

    On it ;)

    I agree. Direct language works, specially for the dark theme of my story.

    But wouldn't a teenager sounding like an adult be unrealistic? I'd cringe if I found dialogue like that, though there are exceptions of course (teens that are mature for their age, geniuses, what have you).

    It's funny you should mention the 12 year old thing, because the characters I'm writing sounded like little kids at first. It's the habit, I enjoy writing kids far more than teens.

    All input is welcome :)
     
  3. tumblingdice

    tumblingdice Member

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    Would Degrassi work? That one was on MTV, right?

    You sure some of those aren't recent? :p (like LOL)

    "Fosheezy". Jesus, I'm laughing so hard right now. My characters are all white and upper-class, though, so I don't know which words would do and which wouldn't.

    I don't think that'll do, I don't know teenagers irl and I don't use social media. I only have you guys, my contemporaries, to help me with this *bows*.

    Oh and I apologize for the double post, but the previous one was getting too lengthy.
     
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  4. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Well, there are young people on this forum. If you've written anything, and you'd like a young person to look it over and make suggestions, why not post it in the Workshop and ask for specific help with appropriate 'talk?' Make sure you specify exactly when this scene or scenes are taking place. Now. Ten years ago? That way, the appropriate 'teenagers' can come forward.
     
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  5. tumblingdice

    tumblingdice Member

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    Sounds like a great idea, thanks! :). I just hope someone reads it, because the fandom I'm writing for only has like 10 people in it :supergrin:
     
  6. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Well, give it a shot. Just make sure, at the start of your post, you let people know what you're specifically looking for.
     
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  7. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    I was a teen in 2000-2002 :D But I'm from the UK rather than US and can't say for sure I even remember how we spoke back then. My social group is a little different - I spent 95% of my time in church with the church youth. Needless to say, we frowned very much upon the popular phrases of "Oh my God" and the stricter lot also on "Oh my word". God was "the big guy upstairs" (or Big G upstairs) and we proudly called ourselves the "Jesus freaks" off to "invade" the streets with the Holy Word of God. I'm afraid my slang was mostly stuff like "let's be filled with the Spirit and on fire for God!" - probably not much use to you :supergrin:Oh and desperately defending the right to use words like "crap" and "damn" because they're so not swear words (it was around that time when these words were indeed transitioning over to the normal words, but they were still controversial then!). "What the hell" is another one you didn't use in my circle.

    So instead I just said "darn" and "What on earth" instead.

    Prayer walks at 6am and singing Christian songs in the streets at night were the thing - that's how you get to be one of the cool kids :p Go-kart and tuck shop (for the non-Brits, that's where you buy old-fashioned sweets and cupcakes) were the week's highlights - that and the youth-run milkshake stands! (they were pretty yummy, actually) Youth services were the thing to be at. (that's a church service run entirely by teenagers)

    Oh and Harry Potter and Pokemon were controversial subjects within the church :ghost: split into the for and against camps. I hung with the "for" camp but decided at around 16, 17 that fantasy is clearly evil and must be avoided, and the reason why I never finished the Potter series. I decided that I was being ridiculous re the fantasy genre when I was about 19 or so. But by then I'd forgotten all the details in Potter and couldn't pick up where I left off :bigfrown: (from the 5th book)

    I know all that probably sounds lame to most you guys on here but I gotta say, just writing all this is making me smile. I had such a blast! :cheerleader:
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2016
  8. Romana

    Romana Member

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    Hello~
    from a teen: avoid excessive use of slang. This is going to sound rude, but unless you're well-versed in slang, you will misuse it. Also, the slang changes from week-to-week; unless they're the kind of slackers that have too much free time to spare on the internet, your characters might not even know the latest slang.
    Teenagers are extremely sarcastic, and usually we turn to humor and irony to veil our true feelings. If your characters have gone through some traumatic experiences, expect them to discuss it with their best friends (not their parents or teachers or adult persons, possibly their siblings), and expect them to cover up how they feel about when they are with anyone other than their best friends. Sometimes teens overshare to people they are comfortable around, but aren't best friends with.
    Teenagers are mean to each other. Not like, tripping people and slamming people into lockers kind of mean, but sort of fake-y insult kind of mean. Like, ironically calling each other squares, insinuating that two students who show up late to class together were in the bathroom doing the hanky-panky (using words like hanky-panky for comedic effect), flipping their friends off for fun, and turning people's back-packs inside out (known as "turtling"). Teens make up words.
    And remember that like is a filler word. If you don't write ever "um" uttered by a character, you don't need to write every "like." I used it twice in the previous paragraph, and I've used it exactly how a teenager uses it in her daily speech, bc I am a teenager. Nobody says "whatever, loser," unless they are talking to a good friend AND they're being ironic.
    As for abbreviations, teens don't say OMG or WTF or LOL unless they are being sarcastic. Irony is key. Teenspeak is all irony. Rarely do they ever say what they actually feel.
    As a nerd, nerds swear. Nerds don't rely as heavily as others do on swearing to get their point across, because they tend to have a meatier vocabulary. You don't need to drop f-bombs every other word if you've memorized an entire thesaurus. Very poor and very wealthy teens swear more than middle-class. Religion does play a large role in how vulgar teens' speech is. Teens don't swear in front of teachers or parents, however, unless those authority figures have it made it clear that swearing is okay. (example: one of my teachers said "shit" in front of me, it was okay for me to say "shit" in front of him). Younger teens (13, 14, 15) will swear more than older teens (17, 18) because they think it's hip and cool. Older teens will use swears more effectively, and they'll also hate anyone younger than they are. Age is extremely important. Teenagers make a point of being older than someone, even if it's only by a few days.
    You said right now that your characters speak like little adults: GOOD. teenagers are little adults, who think they know everything, but lack perspective and wisdom. If they're saying stupid shit, but they sound like adults when they're saying it, you're doing it correctly.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2016
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  9. ToBeInspired

    ToBeInspired Senior Member

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    Kind of not sure why swearing is being related as "cool." As in, "Hey! You're unpopular, you're only allowed to use big scientific words."

    Everyone and their mom cusses. It's just how things are. You're more likely to find someone who won't cuss from a religious family.

    I say don't go too heavy on the slang and if you're not sure how to use it -- don't. Hell, you could even make up your own slang (a word or two) as long as it sounds like it might fit. So much slang has passed through school hallways that a few more aren't going to be questioned.

    Err, not trying to insult you Mckk but that's like one of my personal nightmares.
     
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  10. tumblingdice

    tumblingdice Member

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    @Mckk I PM'd you.

    This is a refreshing perspective. Could you elaborate, give specific examples?
     
  11. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    Haha no problem. I am used to the idea that people tend to find church boring or stifling etc. Growing up trying to change people's perception of church was one of our 'missions' lol.

    Anyway, if you think of the fact that all my close friends attended these church events, really it just became a place to hang out with friends like any other :) the only difference is some of your activities were religious, that's all. But since this is a religion I shared with my friends, that wasn't a problem. So it would be like hanging out with like-minded people in particular places and at particular events - it's actually not so different from what anybody else might do. I signed up for many events once I found out my two best friends are both attending, including fence painting for the neighbourhood lol :ninja:
     
  12. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    Hey valley girl, like chad like totally blew me like off.

    What is wrong with every thing in that statement? It is obnoxious and annoying to boot. Now imagine it coming from a teen girl chewing/playing with her gum, and in a grating dull tone. It is still annoying.
    Like is too over used, and makes the one abusing it highly annoying and hard to listen to. Isn't that a '90s and further back thing anyway? I thought the modern teenager lacks the ability to communicate beyond a few small phrases verbally, and needs the aid of a device for the majority of communication such as a phone or laptop. There is plenty of evidence that they will send messages from as far a distances as the person sitting right there in the same room with them. So dialogue would be severely limited to the abbreviated and emojis, with the occasional real word tossed in to make it half intelligible. Oddly enough the text speak as it has been called has become the staple language and can be heard being uttered like it was a real word/s when not coming from a device. So the youth of today are less chatty, like when I was in high school some 12 years ago, when the Iphones and texting was still in it's infancy. Hence why we now have phrases such as: WTF, ROFL, LMAO, OMG, and so on. Our language is turning into something ridiculous at some levels. :p
     
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  13. ToBeInspired

    ToBeInspired Senior Member

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    One of the few rare occurrences where domestic violence helps a family. Still waiting on the release of the back hand emoji.

    Kidding, but if I ever caught my kid doing that I'd take their phone away.
     
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  14. christinacantwrite

    christinacantwrite Member

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    I agree about the slang. It varies so much from time to time and group to group, you need to make sure you're consistent and don't mix up 2016 Berkshire prep school slang with 2015 London college slang etc. I've certainly never heard any teenagers use the word "hanky-panky", although Romana clearly has, for example. So unless you actually go out and spend some time with a group of teenagers and pay attention to the words they're using, use it only very sparingly. I agree with the above suggestion that "like" can be used in place of said, or in place of nothing, for that matter. Some people can barely go by a sentence without using the word at least five times. Literally. Yeah, that's another one to use. Just make sure you don't have all of them talking like that, or it gets tiring and is just unrealistic.

    I think you're generalising a little here. I am very sarcastic but I know many teenagers who aren't. We're individuals just as adults are. I agree with the "whatever, loser" thing (a sure sign that an author doesn't know many teenagers when they overuse this), but I do hear people saying omg and lol in a non-sarcastic manner. Not 'wtf', mind, because saying "what the fuck" is easier than saying "double-you tee eff", but this is not the case for the other two. Lol is quite often used when something is not literally "laugh out loud" funny, but amusing enough to be worth verbal acknowledgement.

    Nerds come in all shapes and sizes. Some swear, some don't. Some swear lots. Not all nerds are particularly intellectual - the term can apply to anyone with an enthusiastic niche interest, eg Doctor Who nerds, Star Wars nerds. OP, have a look at tumblr. Zoom in on a fandom which you think may be of interest to your characters, and have a look at the kind of vocabulary they use. Obviously written speech is different to spoken speech, but it'll give you an idea.

    Again, you're generalising. Lots of teens swear to authority figures as a way to openly defy them. I'm not sure about the younger teens swearing more than older teens thing, I've not seen any evidence of that personally.

    I really take issue with this. Age is a lot more important for younger people than older people, simply because the gap in maturity is wider between a 14 and 15 year old compared to a 44 and 45 year old. Being older that someone else, and especially dating someone older (but not too old obviously), does seem to be something to brag about among a lot of teenagers. But you are exaggerating here.

    Agree!

    My overall point is: teenagers are just as varied as any other age group. As is shown by the fact that I (just about still a teenager) disagree on so many points with Romana. Don't fall into the trap of thinking all teenagers are obnoxious sarcastic self-righteous know-it-alls, or angsty politically-inactive layabouts, or sporty "popular" kids vs. academic loners (please, that trope is just old)... we all have different characteristics and certainly different speech patterns. Just write them as adults, but with less knowledge and experience. Crucially, understand the social environment in which your characters have grown up/are growing up in. Idk about the period you're writing in, but right now many youths are worrying about their futures, ie will they be able to get a job, earn a living etc, just as an example. How does this effect their outlook on life? Once you've grasped this, I think you're pretty much there.

    Phew that was long. I hope you find some of it helpful! Good luck with your story :)
     
  15. Oscar Leigh

    Oscar Leigh Contributor Contributor

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    I'm 17, almost 18. If your novel is set currently, I could give you some advice. But take it with a grain of salt because I'm Australian, and I live in an upper-middle class neighborhood where you find anarchist bookstores and LGBT safe space stickers on cafes. It might be quite different to your setting.
    As a general rule, swearing is a little more common. Slang is mostly internet based these days so LOL or Doge for example. During internet communications this comes out more so with lots of abbreviations potentially typed. And terms like meme and emoji are common lexicon. Most people will be trying to get the latest phone and/or laptop especially with Apple and others designing for replacement. As others have mentioned, pop culture is a huge part. If you want to be super realistic expect people to quote their favourite Youtubers. That's often the biggest source of slang among groups. For example; the Youtuber Jacksfilms has an unending in-joke among his fans about the phrase "a lightswitch" to the point he's trying to stop it because it's so repetitive. But that's deep level research. Your fictional school should have it's own slang too. For example I had a maths teacher people nicknamed "One-Dollar". So you can get creative.
    Nerds are increasingly less tabboo, in my experience, and gaming is actually bigger than sport as a masculine thing. Teens are often lazy, after all. Also though a lot of people will do the stereotypical whinging about school a lot of people do actually have an interest in some subjects. Though they might not like the work itself as much.
    The word gay being used as an insult does still happen. Especially in less progressive areas than mine. Older teens might progress to faggot. There will be others that dislike this, especially teachers.
    Graffiti happens. No matter how nice the school. Gum also collects under tables because people don't want to draw attention to themselves and be caught. So they stick it under the desk rather than walk over to the bin.
    Smoking of cigarettes and marijuana happens in older years. Starting around year 9 (grade 9) I think. My school it's more marijuana than cigs but it depends. Alcohol also kicks off around year 10-11, especially if they have a students only year 11 formal or something. A good number of the teens will hate it when others take these though, and everyone will have been exposed to government media on these. Including speakers on how to avoid killing yourself with alcohol. (Vodka cans might be popped like coke and that's usually what causes the choking on own vomit deaths). Smoking in particular they'll have had a barrage of anti-smoking ads about how unhealthy it is and most won't do it at all. (I think it's more lax in America though, we have more of a welfare/protection element than they do. One of the reasons why Australia is considered so livable)
    Even if they're not in America, if they're middle class or above, and in the west, they might discuss the American presidential race.
    I'll leave you with that for now.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2016
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  16. Pixelated Porn

    Pixelated Porn Member

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    like ya, for sure
     
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  17. Avyrra

    Avyrra New Member

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    I'm 18, and graduated high school last year. Still talk to people younger than me too and I don't think they wa has changed too much in the year. If anything it's gotten progressively worse due to me not having to worry about a teacher hearing me talk. But anyway, don't worry about teens sounding like young adults. The reason? They pretty much are. I swear ALL the time, and I sometimes use gamer slang.
    Honestly, if you hear someone spelling out "omg, wtf, brah" in real life, they're probably mocking that type of speech, even if it is in context. Using slang... is usually just mockery in context in order to make a situation funny. Same thing goes with calling people names like "faggot, and scrub," and everything in between. I've never heard somebody call someone else a faggot and try to act like it actually meant something, generally because in this day and age of the internet, we've heard it all. Sometimes you get someone that acts offended (usually someone older) but generally, the conversation goes as follows.

    Person 1: Sup faggot.
    Person 2: Hey, man.
    Person 1: I saw that new trailer. I can't believe Cod4 is going to be 80 bucks.
    Person 2: Yeah I already saw it. I gave up on Cod a while ago though.
    Person 1: Well maybe if you stopped playing Dota and played a good game for once.
    Person 2: I'm not playing League. I like my Dota.
    Person 1: Yeah, but Dota doesn't have Jinx and I like Jinx.
    Person 2: I don't care, really.

    So in general, slang is kind of a joke, stupid stuff is spoken in serious ways, and teens love swearing, but they're bad at it.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2016
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  18. Romana

    Romana Member

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    I know a lot of teens who are very politically active. They frequently attempt to organize canvassing events and rallies, but because they don't have any organizational skills, these are often flops.
    Other teens think they are highly politically knowledgeable, but in reality they are only spewing whatever they've heard from their parents or the internet. Even though they don't have all the facts in political debates, most of them can keep up a decent and educated-sounding argument.
    Teenagers saying stupid shit but sounding like adults while they're doing it: Complaining about relationships (any kind of relationship -- platonic, romantic, sexual). Actual words said by an actual teenager: "I don't think it's possible to simultaneously loathe and love someone so much, yet here I am." Great use of vocabulary, childish subject. Avyrra's example is really good -- kids take trivial stuff very seriously, because when you're 14-15-16-17, trivial stuff is sometimes all you've got in your life.

    @christinacantwrite : I am definitely making generalizations based on my experiences at a middle-class mostly white and Hispanic Southeastern American public high school (in case that helps the OP's setting at all?)
     
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  19. tumblingdice

    tumblingdice Member

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    Just dropping by to remind everyone that my story is a fanfic set in the early 2000s, exclusive private school in NY. Thank you all for the input anyway :)

    @Oscar Leigh Wow, I thought you were older. Take that as a compliment :). I'm interesting in the choking on own vomit thing (I'm writing horror). How does that happen? I only started drinking in my 20s and never seen anything like it.

    @christinacantwrite This is when I regret that my pop culture knowledge is limited to Harry Potter, lol. Aside from that, I've watched the LOTR movies and that's it. Aw man :(
     
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  20. Oscar Leigh

    Oscar Leigh Contributor Contributor

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    When teenagers drink they can get drunk easily for obvious reasons, and for those same reasons they often don't know how to handle it. As a result, their friends might lie them down when they're really drunk and they choke on their own vomit. They key to avoiding this is to put them on their side so they can spew properly.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2016
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  21. Romana

    Romana Member

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    bc your characters attend an exclusive private school, that means they got in based on either money or merit, right?
    the more ~academically advanced~ kids are, the more sarcastic and guarded they can get, or at least, that's what I've noticed.
    I've also noticed that kids at the top (especially them damn northerners and also only children) tend to be crueller in their insults than kids with siblings or people whose families come from the South (again, this is a just a trend I've noticed, and it may or may not be real), and kids with siblings pull more pranks than only children.
     
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  22. christinacantwrite

    christinacantwrite Member

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    Idk about academically advanced, but I have read that intelligent people tend to use sarcasm more than less intelligent people, and that certainly often goes with academic capability.
    The thing about children with siblings pulling more pranks is very interesting! Perhaps because they grow up in a more competitive environment? I don't know, I'm speculating. But, thinking about it, my experience agrees with yours here. I wonder if other people's do too?
     
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  23. Oscar Leigh

    Oscar Leigh Contributor Contributor

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    I think, if it is true, it's more than when you have a sibling there's a sense of teasing you don't get when you don't have a sibling.
     
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