Wuthering Heights – Joseph’s Accent?

Question

I’m rereading Wuthering Heights, and I’m still having trouble with Joseph’s accent, even the second time around. The first time I ended up just skipping over it, but even though I know he really doesn’t say anything that important, I kind of want to read the book in whole this time. Does anyone know of any websites that decipher his speech?

P.S. I’ve already tried reading his parts out loud. It doesn’t work for me, even with the pronunciation guides… just to tedious.

Answer 1

Here's a couple of on-line dialect dictionaries that might help you understand what Joseph says, he makes some very astute observations in the book.

http://www.yorkshire-dialect.org/dictionary.htm

http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/dialect/

Answer 2

To understand the Yorkshire dialect, you may want to rent the James Herriot films, 'All Creatures Great and Small,' or 'All Creatures Wise and Wonderful.' There are several films based on this Scottish vet's experiences in Yorkshire. That should help you with the accent, or some of the 'Wuthering Heights' film versions may help too.