Second Assignment - A True Story, Repeated Word for Word As I Heard It by Mark Twain

 It's always been hard for me to read and comprehend deep southern accents.  When I find I need to (as I do for this assignment) I tend to read them out loud which helps but then I instantly feel less intelligent and that bothers me.  Here are some my observations about this writing in particular: 

Words- The use of apostrophes is great.  It seems like every third word has one.  They are used in place of "D's" quite frequently and instead of other letters as well. They are used in "traditional" ways too, however. The spelling used is not "standard" in many instances.  My favorite example of this is "mawnin" instead of morning.  Another common one would be "dat" instead of that. Often times a new section would start with her saying "Well".

Syntax- The speaker uses repetition a lot. Often times correcting or adding something the second time she expressed a sentiment. The language felt very different to me but never could I completely not decider the meaning behind it.  I like that the writing sounds.  At least for me, I hear the words of Aunt Rachel instead of just seeing/reading them.  I don't know if anyone else will understand or relate. The language reminded me of Zora Neale Hurston's Characteristics of Negro Expression.  Many of my observations would fit into the categories she determines in her essay.