Language

Style of language

The language used by Tom McAfee in the short story “This is My Living Room” reflects the main character’s social background. 

The narrator uses colloquial words, often with offensive meanings: “nigger” (p. 136, l. 26), “whore” (p. 134, l. 27), “bitch” (p. 134, l. 14), or “bastards” (p. 137, l. 33). He also uses words like “yonder” (p. 133, l. 12), “youngun” (p. 136, l. 26), “them pictures” (p. 136, l. 27). These words and structures are frequently used in the Southern US dialect.

Moreover, there are also examples of non-standard spelling and grammar, which are also associated with the dialect spoken in the South of the US. For instance, the narrator uses “setting” (p. 133, l. 1) instead of “sitting”, “ain’t” (p. 133, l. 8) instead of “am not”, “is” (p. 136, l. 8) instead of “are”, or “a body” (p. 136, l. 38) instead of “anybody”. The use of...