Colloquialism

In Of Mice and Men

 Colloquialism…what is it?
• The language of the common man…
• Or everyday language – not formal speech –
in a region
 Back then…when I was in high
school…
• Talk to the hand! Shady
• Hasta la vista, baby.
• Aiight
• As if!
• That was da bomb
• Bling bling
• Boo ya!
• Don’t go there!
 What about you?
• Are there things you say…that adults just
simply don’t understand???
 How about in texting…
• LOL! I gtg ttyl, k?
• dat wz funE! W@ Dd u do?
• RUF2T? u ok?
Or in your everyday language…?
• I’m gellin’ like Magellan.
• It was bad news bear…
• Y’all must be trippin’!
• Holla!
 Do you think other parts of the
country…or world…also have
their own “language?”
• She sure was purdy! And she’s got some
horse sense, too!
• Oh blimey!
• The new worker is bobbins.
• You got pwned! Get off this forum, you
n00b.
 In Of Mice and Men
• She’s got the eye.
• I ain’t gonna have no pants rabbits in my
bed.
• That wife of his sure is a looloo.
• Ha! I knew he was yella as a frog belly!
• You know, we could roll up a stake and get
us that farm…
 How do you define standard
English?

What kind of assumption do people often

make about those who do not speak in
standard English? For example, what do
people from California sometimes think of
southern accents?
 In what ways do the two men speak
“nonstandard” English? Write down some
concrete examples, and explain why they are
nonstandard.

From the sound of their speech (and the subject

matter of their talk), do you make assumptions
about where they’re from? What kind of
education do they have? What kind of work
they most likely do?
Do you see similarities between the way
Steinbeck writes the dialogue between these
characters and the sound of the speaker’s voice
in “To a Mouse”? If so, what are those
similarities? For example, are words cut off or
shortened in a similar way?
What effect do such similarities have on your
interpretation of these texts?
Think about the theme of the poem as it was
discussed in your group. Are George and
Lennie similar to the speaker? Or are they like
the mouse?