So, this is something I've been thinking about posting for a while. It's my stance on accents, and why it's hard to write them correctly in stories.

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If you understand how to do so, it is possible to write out an accent phonetically, which basically means you can write it as it would sound when spoken aloud.

One example of this is shown below.

"Vat iz dat?" Dimitri asked.
(Albus Severus and the Angel's Curse, Bananabrains13)

This accent is probably recognizable, if you have heard it spoken before. In this instance, the accent is written in an understandable way that is not annoying to read.

With this being said, not everyone can pull this off (especially if you have a character with an accent that's hard to represent).

In such a case, what should you do?

You've got a couple of pretty good options. Firstly, you can attempt to show their accent through the use (or lack of) contractions.

For some non-native English speakers, English contractions can be hard to learn. They could learn, but it would be rather difficult.

This is relatively easy to show, though you have to make sure you're consistent with this throughout a story.

Another good option is to include words from the character's native language in dialogue. I would not recommend using these in the middle of a quote that's otherwise in English, though using this in a quote of its own works well.

This is an example I came up with myself, as it will be easy for most people here to pronounce and understand without a translator.

"Buenas días."

This translates to 'good day' in Spanish. You can use a similar strategy with whichever language you choose, as long as you have an author's note at the end explaining what the words/phrases mean.

So, this may seem easy so far. At this point you're probably wondering what the issue is.

Why are accents hard to write?

The answer to this is actually quite simple.

If done incorrectly, the use of accents in fiction can run the risk of seeming either annoying or offensive. This is most notable in depictions of accents from the Southern United States, of which there are many.

I live in this region (Kentucky's considered to be part of the South) and my accent sounds nothing like a lot of the portrayals I have found.

If you're going to write an accent phonetically, you have to make sure it is accurate. If you're going to include specific words/phrases from that region/language, you have to do it sparingly.

Above all, when working with accents, you need to make them as understandable and accurate as you can, so that readers from the area aren't upset by your style, and readers from other areas can follow along smoothly.