A True Story in a different dialect

In reading "A True Story" by Mark Twain, it's impossible not to notice the heavy Southern, African-American dialect.  I have categorized some of the differences with examples below.

Spelling: bawn (born), jist (just), dem (them), turrible, git, dat, tetches (touches), sk'yar (scar), pooty (pretty) In many cases, "I"was substituted for "e" to emphasize the short vowel sound. Same with "d" for "t" as in the word there (or dere, dem, etc.)  Several words were shortened or used contractions rather than the full word we commonly hear today.  This made the narrator sound less educated but perfectly captured the dialect.

Sentence Structure/Grammar:  Some sentences had alternative word placement to what we would use in modern English today.  For example: "has I had any trouble", "i knows", "she up and she says"

Use of "sah" (sir) as a placement of class/ term of respect

Colloquialism: "Blue Hen Chickens"--I have no clue what this means. "Niggers"-an offensive word today, niggers was a common term of the time period and used in the South.  Therefore, including this word was essential to capturing the dialect. Other words we no longer use much include "mosey", "swelled around."

Twain is known for his excellent ability to capture various dialects and this short story was no exception.

Teaching the English Language

Oh, the challenges that face us as future English educators.  My father was a high school English teacher and I have consequently grown up with a love for the language and extreme passion for reading.  As a teacher, I would love to focus mainly on literature and reading.  Literature is an essential part of our culture and learning.  Analyzing literature helps us to create our own thoughts and opinions towards written material as well as society and life in general.  Alas, I know I will have to incorporate other aspects of English as well.  Many students in the high school setting take English only because they have to as a required course, and therefore invest little interest in reading the literature.  I will do my best to instill a love for reading in their hearts but I owe those students other important lessons as well.  These include grammar, writing, and public speaking.  In today's world, English has become an international language essential to every major and position my future students will choose to pursue.  As a result, my job is to prepare them to use the English language to the best of their ability.  They must have a grasp of grammar and syntax so they can put together logical, concise sentences in both their writing and speaking.  Writing is essential for college acceptance and various forms of communication be it academic essays or emails. I think public speaking is also an essential part of the English language.  Students must be able to communicate clearly and effectively to successfully navigate our society.  Future teachers have a responsibility to prepare their students to be successful in life and teaching literature, writing and speaking will be important as a future English educator.