dialect problem solved
I discovered http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiberno-English.
This exactly solves the problem I've had with my main character. I found a bunch of stuff I was doing right, indicating that I'd picked the right path. A bunch more things that I was doing almost right, in particular, the difference between "be" and "is" that no longer exists in modern English, but adds a distinctive component to the character's dialog. A few things I was doing wrong. A bunch of things I wasn't doing at all. And a lot of great words I can salt into the text.
I have three books and one course on this subject, but this Wikipedia page is the most useful thing I've found yet.
This exactly solves the problem I've had with my main character. I found a bunch of stuff I was doing right, indicating that I'd picked the right path. A bunch more things that I was doing almost right, in particular, the difference between "be" and "is" that no longer exists in modern English, but adds a distinctive component to the character's dialog. A few things I was doing wrong. A bunch of things I wasn't doing at all. And a lot of great words I can salt into the text.
I have three books and one course on this subject, but this Wikipedia page is the most useful thing I've found yet.