What is colloquialism? The word is derived from the Latin word colloqui which in turn is derived from the words com meaning 'with' and loqui meaning 'conversation'. It is a phrase that is appropriate only for casual conversation but has been used in formal speech and literary writing. From the works of the Bronte sisters to the Harry Potter series most famous works in literature have colloquialism. There are many colloquialism examples in literature. In this article we look at some of these examples.
List of Colloquialism Examples in Literature
Colloquialism is not one of the many literary techniques that is employed by an author. But it often creeps into a fictional piece in the dialogues of the characters of the book. Every writer is influenced by the place he belongs to, the way people around him speak, and the phrases that are used by them. These colloquialism examples in literature are responsible for the depth of the novel and also for the creating a connection between the reader and the characters. Colloquialism makes a literary piece more real.
* Mark Twain or Samuel Langhorne Clemens was one of the most famous proponents of using colloquialism examples in literature. One of the most quoted examples from the works of Mark Twain was in Huckleberry Finn, where the opening line says, "You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter."
* Another very good example of colloquialism in literature is from A&P by John Updike in the sentence, "I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course. There wasn’t anybody but some young married screaming with her children about some candy they didn’t get by the door of a powder-blue station wagon."
* The classic novel The Catcher in the Rye was a gift box of colloquialism examples in literature. J.D. Salinger, the author used many different catchphrases prevalent in the time in the text of the novel. One of the oft quoted examples is, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
* William Faulkner also used many colloquial phrases in his literary work, As I Lay Dying. For example in the part, "He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear."
* House of Leaves, Mark Danielewski's path-breaking work that combined three different genres, horror, romance, and satire also is a storehouse of colloquialism examples in literature. For examples, "Suffice it to say, Lude & I spent the last hours of the year alone, scouting for new bars, new faces, driving recklessly through the canyons, doing our best to talk the high midnight heavens down with a whole lot of bullshit. We never did. Talk them down, I mean."
* In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, an example of colloquialism can be found in the lines, "Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks.".
* Another classic novel that has several colloquialism examples in literature is To Kill a Mockingbird. Based in a town in Southern Alabama, the language of dialogues in the book was predominantly similar to the language spoken by the locals. So the book was peppered with dialogues like, "Cut that out! What do you think you're doing?"
These were just some of the colloquialism examples in literature. While it is rarer to find colloquialism in poetry, it is not uncommon as is seen in Barrack-room Ballads by Rudyard Kipling in the verse given below.
When 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre
He'd 'eard men sing by land and sea;
An' what he thought 'e might require
'E went an' took — the same as me!
Almost every book of fiction in English language have an example of colloquialism. This colloquialism list was just some of the oft quoted examples. There are many such colloquialism examples in literature that you will be able to find if you just kept an eye out for it.
List of Colloquialism Examples in Literature
Colloquialism is not one of the many literary techniques that is employed by an author. But it often creeps into a fictional piece in the dialogues of the characters of the book. Every writer is influenced by the place he belongs to, the way people around him speak, and the phrases that are used by them. These colloquialism examples in literature are responsible for the depth of the novel and also for the creating a connection between the reader and the characters. Colloquialism makes a literary piece more real.
* Mark Twain or Samuel Langhorne Clemens was one of the most famous proponents of using colloquialism examples in literature. One of the most quoted examples from the works of Mark Twain was in Huckleberry Finn, where the opening line says, "You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter."
* Another very good example of colloquialism in literature is from A&P by John Updike in the sentence, "I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course. There wasn’t anybody but some young married screaming with her children about some candy they didn’t get by the door of a powder-blue station wagon."
* The classic novel The Catcher in the Rye was a gift box of colloquialism examples in literature. J.D. Salinger, the author used many different catchphrases prevalent in the time in the text of the novel. One of the oft quoted examples is, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
* William Faulkner also used many colloquial phrases in his literary work, As I Lay Dying. For example in the part, "He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear."
* House of Leaves, Mark Danielewski's path-breaking work that combined three different genres, horror, romance, and satire also is a storehouse of colloquialism examples in literature. For examples, "Suffice it to say, Lude & I spent the last hours of the year alone, scouting for new bars, new faces, driving recklessly through the canyons, doing our best to talk the high midnight heavens down with a whole lot of bullshit. We never did. Talk them down, I mean."
* In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, an example of colloquialism can be found in the lines, "Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks.".
* Another classic novel that has several colloquialism examples in literature is To Kill a Mockingbird. Based in a town in Southern Alabama, the language of dialogues in the book was predominantly similar to the language spoken by the locals. So the book was peppered with dialogues like, "Cut that out! What do you think you're doing?"
These were just some of the colloquialism examples in literature. While it is rarer to find colloquialism in poetry, it is not uncommon as is seen in Barrack-room Ballads by Rudyard Kipling in the verse given below.
When 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre
He'd 'eard men sing by land and sea;
An' what he thought 'e might require
'E went an' took — the same as me!
Almost every book of fiction in English language have an example of colloquialism. This colloquialism list was just some of the oft quoted examples. There are many such colloquialism examples in literature that you will be able to find if you just kept an eye out for it.
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