Wuthering Heights— Character trouble?

Question

I'm reading Wuthering Heights right now. I can understand everything perfectly well except for what the servant Joseph is saying. Is there a way of deciphering it, or a site I can go to that has translations for him??

Answer 1

Read it out loud like you would chaucer. It is actually fun to decypher if you don't get hung up on the decyphering. Pretend you are a scottish lass and go into your room and read it out loud in an accent like scrooge Mc Duck. It is fun and you get into it and it makes it easier to hear the familiarities in the expressions and phrases.

Here is a guide to understanding some of the old English sounds...


a is pronounced like the a in father not make.

e when long, is similar to the a in make, when short it is more like the e in bed.

*the e at the end of a word such as soote (Sweet) is pronounced lightly.

I when long, is similar to the i in pique when short its like the i in tip

o when long its like out long o but sometimes like the o in trough when short its like the o in top when followed by u or w or gh it sounds like the u in truth

u by itself is similar to the u in put

y is always the sames as I

double vowles are always elongated

middle english dipthongs such as au and ou are less slurred than ours in general they sound like the long form of the first vowel plus the short form of the second.

Answer 2

The first time I read it, I found Joseph's dialogue very annoying too. It seems to be an exaggerated Scottish brogue. The only thing you can do is just muddle through it, because it does seem less confusing after you read more of it.

Answer 3

Try reading his lines out loud. Your ears will pick up what your eyes do not.