Accent & Dialect

Accents and Dialects in Blood Brothers

As a key element of the play is the difference in social class between the working class characters and the middle class characters, Russell uses dialogue to create a contrast.

Accents

An accent is a particular way of pronouncing certain words, which tends to reveal where a speaker comes from. For example, Linda says, “Y’ better hadn’t or I won’t be in love with y’ any more!”. (Act Two)
Russell uses abbreviated words and phonetic spelling to make it clear that Linda has a strong Liverpudlian accent. This strong accent would be associated with working-class people, and therefore reveals information about her character’s position in society.

Dialects

Dialect refers to words which are only used by a certain group of people, normally people from a particular area or social group.
- For example, Sammy says to Mickey and Edward, “you’re soft.”
The word “soft”, in Liverpudlian dialect, means ‘weak’ or ‘foolish’, and this use of dialect signifies to the audience that Sammy is a member of the working class.

Types of dialogue

Slang:
- Informal language which might often be considered rude: “bunk under y’fence” and “poshy”.
Phonetic spelling:
- This is when a word is spelt in the way it is pronounced, rather than how it might be found in the dictionary: “Yeh”.
Abbreviation:
- This is when words are made shorter by removing letters and replacing them with an apostrophe: “Nothin’”.
Contraction:
- This is when words are merged together to show how they are pronounced by the characters: “Y’ ma”.

Style of dialogue

The dialogue in Blood Brothers is intended to be realistic in order to show the audience that the characters in the play are just like ordinary people who are facing everyday struggles.
Throughout the play, almost all of the characters speak in an intentionally realistic way, and this means that there is very little imagery or figurative language to be found. This is helps us to empathise with the characters because it adds to the feeling that these are ordinary people, just like us.

The Narrator

The exception to this is the Narrator.
He remains outside the main action of the play, and is often at the side of the stage commenting on what is happening. Russell has used far more imagery and figurative language for this character.
This could be because the Narrator plays a much more mysterious role. He arrives on stage always as the bearer of bad news, and his appearances create an ominous atmosphere with his allusions to “the devil” and the imminent doom facing the main characters.

1Context & Author

1.1Context

1.1.1Setting

1.1.2Political Background

1.1.3Education & Work

1.1.4Marilyn Monroe & Pop Culture

1.1.5Family

1.2Author

1.2.1Willy Russell

1.2.2End of Topic Test - Context & Author

2Plot

2.1Act One

2.1.1Overview: Introduction to Mrs Johnstone & Lyons

2.1.2Analysis: Introduction to Mrs. Johnston and Lyons

2.1.3Overview: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.4Analysis: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.5Overview: Mickey Playing at Home

2.1.6Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.7Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.8Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.9Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Act One

2.1.11End of Topic Test - Act One 2

2.2Act Two

2.2.1Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.2Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.3Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.4Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.5Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.6Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.7Overview: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.8Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.9End of Topic Test - Act Two

2.2.10End of Topic Test - Act Two 2

3Characters

3.1Mickey

3.1.1Mickey

3.1.2Mickey as a Damaged Adult

3.2Edward

3.2.1Edward

3.2.2Edward 2

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Mickey & Edward

3.3Linda

3.3.1Linda

3.3.2Linda 2

3.4Mrs Johnstone

3.4.1Mrs Johnstone

3.4.2Mrs Johnstone 2

3.5Mrs Lyons

3.5.1Mrs Lyons

3.5.2Mrs Lyons 2

3.5.3End of Topic Test - Linda & Mothers

3.6Mr Lyons

3.6.1Mr Lyons

3.7Sammy

3.7.1Sammy

3.8The Narrator

3.8.1The Narrator

3.9Minor

3.9.1Minor Characters

3.9.2End of Topic Test - Other Characters

3.10End of Topic Sessions

3.10.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

4Themes

4.1Parents & Children

4.1.1Parents & Children

4.2Growing Up

4.2.1Growing Up

4.3Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.1Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.2End of Topic Test - Parents, Growing Up, Friends

4.4Fate & Superstition

4.4.1Fate & Superstition

4.5Nature vs. Nurture

4.5.1Nature vs. Nurture

4.6Social Class

4.6.1Social Class

4.6.2End of Topic Test - Fate, Upbringing & Class

5Literary Techniques

5.1Structure

5.1.1Structure

5.2Tragedy

5.2.1Tragedy

5.3Dramatic Irony

5.3.1Dramatic Irony

5.4Imagery

5.4.1Imagery

5.5Character & Voice

5.5.1Character

5.6Music & Lyrics

5.6.1Music & Lyrics

5.7Accent & Dialect

5.7.1Accent & Dialect

5.7.2End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques

5.7.3End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques 2

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