When I heard what the subject for this podcast would be (I never look before hand, just load ‘em up in order on the old MP3 player and play them in sequence along with all of my other ‘casts), I immediately thought of Robert Heinlein’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”, which has some of the best dialect-intensive prose in the SF/F industry. The opening couple of paragraphs illustrate it well:

“I see in Lunaya Pravda that Luna City Council has passed on first reading a bill to examine, license, inspect – and tax – public food vendors operating inside municipal pressure. I see also is to be mass meeting tonight to organize “Sons of Revolution” talk-talk.
“My old man taught me two things: “Mind own business” and “Always cut cards.” Politics never tempted me. But on Monday 13 May 2075 I was in computer room of Lunar Authority Complex, visiting with computer boss Mike while other machines whispered among themselves. Mike was not official name; I had nicknamed him for Mycroft Holmes, in a story written by Dr. Watson before he founded IBM. This story character would just sit and think – and that’s what Mike did. Mike was a fair dinkum thinkum, sharpest computer you’ll ever meet.”

It’s subtle, but the lack of definite and indefinite articles in certain places, slightly skewed sentence structure, and nary a misspelling in the lot are exactly what you gents were talking about in this episode – Heinlein has given Mannie a distinct voice with a very Russian accent, but he’s not beating you over the head with it. And it keeps the story readable, which is good because it’s first person perspective from the point of Mannie.

Sorry for the comment necromancy, but I finally had something pertinent to add to the discussion and couldn’t contain it anymore.

One great example for me is Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series, especially the audio versions that are so masterfully read by Patrick Tull. The combination of O’Brian’s ability to write the correct words and Tull’s ability to read them seamlessly is amazing. For comparison if you read C. S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series (which cover almost identical subject matter) there is a distinct lack of dialect that O’Brian’s stories contain and really immerse the reader into the Napoleonic era British Royal Navy. (though both are great and respected works)

Mind you, I like it because its so bad and incredibly cheesy. Although oddly appropriate at the same time.

However, one good example is Terry Pratchett’s The Wee Free Men. Like Guerry said, they speak in brogue, and it just sounds great when you read it out loud. However, I think it would have been more likely to turn me off if I had not heard a sample from the audio book.

Also, there are some good examples from the Wheel of Time. What I like about Robert Jordan is that he doesn’t play tricks with spelling to get a different dialect, he just uses different words and phrases. Therefore, the characters sound like they are from different places. I think this kind of dialect is much more powerful in a book, because it establishes setting and character so much better. Spelling tricks make a character seem stupid, although they may not be. But word and phrase differences give a weight of history to the stories. I feel the culture behind the words. I feel that certain things are important to those characters (like Sazed being polite), and so I care more about them.

I guess the best way to make characters seem like they have a unique voice is to give them a unique voice, instead of changing the way you spell their words.

I slightly disagree with the need to read out loud some dialects. Especially with The Name of the Wind.
The dialect just naturally formed in my mind, no need to ACTUALLY read it out loud. ;]