We speak slower when we are relaxed, hypothyroid, trying to calm someone down, reason with them, or question their intelligence. If someone is angry, responding with anger fuels the flames. Speaking calmly and rationally should tamp it down. Unless the fact that Dick is calm really pisses Jane off.
Characters conversing in their native language speak
quickly. They have to slow down for children or someone who does not understand
their language or for someone with hearing deficits.
Speech patterns differ substantially between the educated and non-educated, geographic locations, and languages spoken. Listeners can often identify a speaker’s origin from their speech, but not always. An African or Asian brought up in the American south will not speak like an African or Asian brought up in London.
Studies have proven that children are more wary of people who don't
sound like them than they are of people who don't look like them. A computer
generated voice cannot exactly mimic a human voice, so the mechanical voice
makes us a little anxious.
Patterns are expressed through syntax: the way the character structures their sentences. It is choosing to offer a statement as question or a declaration and the subsequent vocabulary choice.
Changing the
modifier after a statement from "Absolutely" to "I think"
or "Do you think?" changes the meaning of the sentence from I'm
certain to I'm uncertain.
"I want to go to France for vacation, don't you?"
"I want to go to France for vacation, I know you do
too."
"Do you think we should go to France for
vacation?"
"It is magnificent, don't you think?"
"It is truly magnificent!"
"It is truly magnifique, n'est ce pas?"
Patterns are expressed through morphology: the meaning of words used and subject-verb agreement.
It is referred meaning such as opposites, synonyms, and the connection of one word to another such as disk to disk player.
It is patterns of words within and across languages and the rules
that govern them. Patterns are expressed through
phonology which is the way a language sounds. The beats in American English are
different from the beats used when speaking English in England or Ireland.
America: "Jerk! Why didn't you wait for me?"
England: "You should have waited, you silly
bugger."
Ireland: "And you couldn't wait for me, could you lad?"
Patterns are expressed through acoustics or phonetics. Phonetics is the physical production of sound, like the placement of the tongue to roll R's, the nasal quality, the emphasis on consonants, the way a word is broken up into syllables i-di-ot versus i-diot. It is the hiss of an S or whether a C sounds like an S (certain) or a K (cash).
Acoustics is the way the sound resonates in the listener's
ear and hard sounds versus soft sounds.
Patterns can reveal state of mind or pathology. Characters that are confident use short, declarative sentences and offer precise answers. Characters that are confused or lying use long, rambling sentences and never really answer the question.
Characters with antisocial psychiatric disorders or
disorders such as hysteria have problems following a conversation or sticking
to the point. They meander, lie, and change the topic.
Pitch can indicate state of mind, gender, or age. Women and children tend to have high-pitched voices. Men tend to have deeper voices. I once knew a little girl with a very deep voice. People laughed and couldn't believe it when she spoke.
Men with higher pitched voices are sometimes considered effeminate. Conversely, a woman with a deep or contralto voice can be considered sexy. A deeper pitch can indicate aggressiveness when used by male or female.
We use a higher pitch when
talking to babies, children or dimwits. A deeper pitch can be Jane's attempt at
sexiness. A higher pitch can mean Dick is mocking Sally.
Purple prose is sometimes used to convey pitch, but should be avoided.
Next week, I provide a master list of blog posts to help you master dialogue.
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