On translating dialect:

The words of both Huck and Jim, it seems to me, are fictional
constructions.  Twain carefully crafted the dialect, that is, which may
or may not accurately reflect any particular language.  As a literary
artist, Twain plays off a recognizable vernacular calling our attention
to unusual sounds and syntax in order to move us toward a meaningful
engagement with his story and characters.
       Jim's fictional dialect and Huck's are Twain's creations.  Huck's
speech may be derived in part from Black dialect but Twain's imaginative
reconstruction of such speech muddies attempts at understanding its
effective meaning.
     We may want to remember that what we translate will always be a
fictional dialect, with words placed and chosen for sound and effect as
well as for accuracy.  But I may be giving Twain to much credit here as
literary artist.


Jason G. Horn
Gordon College
Barnesville, GA