Eye Dialect as a Problem in Graphics

Abstract

This paper examines the problems involved in arranging the letters of the English alphabet into nonstandard spellings for the purpose of producing eye dialect spellings. It argues that the writer of eye dialect is under certain restrictions imposed by the fact that the reader must be able to associate the eye dialect spellings with the standard spelling. These restrictions, and how various writers dealt with them, are illustrated by the use of various eye dialect spellings from literary works.