Thursday, February 19, 2009
Dialect in "The Lonely Londoners"
Sam Selvon, through the voice of the narrator, uses West Indian dialect throughout "The Lonely Londoners". In what way, then, does that reinforce the authenticity of his characters? Would it have been the same had the narrator, along with the characters, spoken in plain English vernacular? It seems that aside from skin color and economic loss, dialect serves as another means of separating the West Indians from their white counterparts. Bart, at times, takes on the English accent when walking the streets of London. Is that sarcastic commentary from Selvon about the need to conform to one's new environment?
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As I was reading The Lonely Londoners and to some extent, the Diaz short story, I too realized that dialect played a major part in the creation of both stories. As you mentioned, Bart does takes on the English accent just as the narrator of "How to Date.." uses his ghetto Spanish to accommodate to their surroundings and environment. Sarcasm aside, I believe that both Selvon and Diaz makes a commentary on the power of language as both a definer and definitive characteristic of race and ethnicity. The power of language and its racial implications is used and manipulated by the main characters as a means of not just conforming to one's environment but also, for change.
ReplyDeleteSam Selvon authenticates the relationship that immigrants form in post-colonial life in “The Lonely Londoners” by allowing the narrator and characters to tell their stories in a West Indian vernacular. When I read a book, the narrator serves as my guide into the character’s mind and motivations: the narrator is reaching out to me. In “The Lonely Londoners,” however, I feel the narrator and the characters have an intimate relationship that is reinforced through this Caribbean language. I, as the reader, am an outsider -- just as the rest of London. By omitting standard English, Selvon brings more value to Caribbean life. The language is a constant reminder of why the characters are “Lonely Londoners.” The men and their community are marginalized and rarely interact with the mainstream. The lack of meaningful relations with white London is evident in that the language failed to assimilate and didn't noticeable change by the end of the novel.
ReplyDeleteCreolization during the stream of consciousness (101-110)transforms these one-dimension characters into introspective men who are tackling some societal issues. This passage provides snapshots of how lost these men are in London -- a world where no matter how hard they try they don't seem to advance an inch.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall any dialogue between a black character and a white counterpart. I doubt that blacks would speak in dialect to an Englishman. I believe that most West Indian workers who came to England had the money and education to leave their country. Therefore, they would know when to speak the King’s English.
I think that Bart speaking in an English accent and Harris walking around with a bowler and umbrella speaks to what they believe is the true image of a British gentleman. There is a certain expectation that London is the ideal place. I believe that Bart is desperate to find that fantasy England that they had heard about in the Caribbean. But as Harris found out when the child cried in his face – no matter how ladeda Caribbean men try to carry themselves, they still carry a black face.
I think the dialect that is chosen is always a critical and deliberate act in literature. It can distance the reader from the text, which I felt was the case with Selvon's novel and create a category for the "other" through these words. I'm guilty of often changing dialect in my head to conform to my preconceived notions of what a person "should" sound like. Therefore, I "corrected" much of the novel in my head to the detriment of the text.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the authenticity of the text goes, it seems that the dialect supports the "true" aspects of the account, making it seem plausible and realistic. However, there is a hierarchy created in England even among West Indians. There is a distinct distinction between those who have been in London for a few months and those who are just coming off the train, particularly because they are most often met with a West Indian who has knowledge of the city. The fact that characters sometimes lapse into more "English" expressions is representative of the fact that these West Indians are creating a new society that is neither entirely English nor entirely West Indian.
Natalie, I'm not sure if this is right, but there is a point at which Tanty asks a shopkeeper for credit. Is the shopkeeper white? I can't remember. Just a possibility for your discussion of the white/black relationship.
ReplyDeleteThe credit passage is on page 79, if anyone's interested.
ReplyDeleteI just want to speak (write) to Catherine's excellent observation that she "corrected" the writing while reading. I wonder, in 1956, if Selvon considered this possibility. Did he or did he not assume that some of his readers would do this?
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, how does this correction impact a po-co discussion of the novel. If we cannot absorb the dialect as is, if we have to correct it, how are we reading the novel? Are we reading it at all - or are we reading a kind of ad-hoc translation of it?
Kimarlee writes in her comments above about dialect as mode of accommodation. Writers deliberately write in a dialect in order to accommodate a given environment and character (or set of characters) they are trying to create and convey to an audience. But what happens when that very choice does its job to correctly convey an image of an environment and a persona but simultaneously distances a kind of reader from the text?
I'm not trying to ascribe value here. Especially since we are clearly trying to engage with the text. But I think it is an important set of questions to consider.
in regards to the exchange with the shopkeeper,tanty seems to speak standard English. She might have had more schooling than the narrator. I'd have to examine how often other female characters use the West Indian vernacular. Selvon may be using language to show socioeconomic inequities between black men and women. The use of standard English by black women indicates that are encouraged to get a formal education that prepares them for non-threatening jobs in which they have more contact with whites. On the other hand, West Indian men were probably steered away from getting the sort of education that would threaten their white counterparts. Because they were segregated on the job, black men are able to retain the West Indian vernacular.
ReplyDeleteI agree that language is used in this text as a means to further isolate the West Indians in London society. At the same time however, language serves as a means in which the immigrants can form a "society" of their own. It is how they know who to turn to for help-how they know that a person is like them. When Tanty and the rest of the clan come to London, the reader is given a clear example of the immigrant experience (one goes, we all go). Thus, it is important that the author include language as a way for the reader and for the characters to identify themselves as being in the same/similiar boat as outsiders in the English community but as insiders in the West Indian community. I personally feel that Selvon would have failed his readers if he had chosen not to write in any particular vernacular.
ReplyDelete