more language issues
I'm trying to stay focused on Queen of Swords as things are at a critical moment and I don't want to lose momentum ... but I will be back to talk about the dialect in dialogue issues some more.
In a related matter, I'm still feeling my way in the current language situation. In 1814 in New Orleans the dominant languages were French and French Creole, Spanish, English, and Mobilian Pidgin (a trade language of various Native American languages with a French base). It's a delicate business, providing a sense of the linguistic time and place without overwhelming the reader, and also I have to be realistic about how much energy I can invest in the research. It would take a long time to get a real sense of early 19th century French and French Creole. The Native American languages would take years.
I do have a Dictionary of French Creole which is big and heavy and has lots of example sentences, as well as a French-Creole and English-Creole section, but the danger is that I fall into it and can't get out again. For example:
Ki lemiro soulye to met mo ti zanfan? What size shoe are you putting on my children?
Piti a piti zozo fe so ni. Little by little the bird makes its nest.
I tell you, it's hypnotic.