1. Understanding “dialect”

2. Activity
In your small group, please discuss the following questions. Be prepared to share with your classmates!
What does the term “dialect” mean?
How many different “dialects” can you name? List as many as possible.
Can there be different “dialects” in one community? EXPLAIN!

3. Group Response
Dialect: A particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group
Grammar, vocabulary, speech patterns
Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern, British, slang, country etc.
“Local and Regional Dialects”: Twain uses both in the novel.
Within a neighborhood there is both “regional and local” dialects.
Mark Twain uses regional dialect for the white people, local for the African Americans.

4. Activity
Now go back to your groups and answering the following questions.
Can you determine someone's education, socio-economic status, race, and gender based on their dialect? Explain.
How does Huck’s dialect differ from standard English?
Do people judge one another based on their language or dialect habits? Explain.
Why do you think Mark Twain chose to use such differing dialects in his novel?