---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dialect words are those terrible marks of…"
description: "\"Dialect words are those terrible marks of the beast to the truly genteel.\" — Thomas Hardy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/thomas-hardy-410_beast_dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-o_1209204.jpg"
---

#  Dialect words are those terrible marks of the beast to the…

![“Dialect words are those terrible marks of the beast to the truly genteel.” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/thomas-hardy-410_beast_dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-o_1209204.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/thomas-hardy-410_beast_dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-o_1209204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/thomas-hardy-410_beast_dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-o_1209204.jpg)

> “Dialect words are those terrible marks of the beast to the truly genteel.”

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Refined society uses harsh language as a marker of superiority, revealing underlying cruelty.

**In simple terms:** Polite speech can hide contempt.

Key Takeaway

Recognize disguised aggression.

Themes

class language social critique

Mood

reflective critical

Type

literary analytical

When to use this quote

- literary analysis
- social commentary
- historical studies
- modern media

Key Concepts

elitism communication power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does language reflect class?
- What modern equivalents exist?

A Different Perspective

Politeness may be genuine, not always a mask.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Dialect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialect/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/)

## Related quotes

> [“Words are such terrible carriers of thought. They’re like the dead bodies of thoughts that the other side studies forensically.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-hippolite/words-are-such-terrible-carriers-of-thought-they-re-like-the-dead/)

K. Hippolite

> [There should be so much more, not of orange, of words, of how terrible orange is and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/there-should-be-so-much-more-not-of-orange-of-words-of-how-terrible/)

[Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/)

> [Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/words-mere-words-how-terrible-they-were-how-clear-and-vivid-and-cruel/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [There's a big difference between when I'm Tom and when I'm Conchita. Conchita uses very proper German; Tom talks in an Austrian dialect. Conchita…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conchita-wurst/there-s-a-big-difference-between-when-i-m-tom-and-when-i-m-conchita/)

[Conchita Wurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conchita-wurst/)

> [“A language is a dialect that has an army and a navy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weinreich/a-language-is-a-dialect-that-has-an-army-and-a-navy/)

Max Weinreich

> [I began to think that melancholy was a dialect that only some people knew-or could even hear-and in my conversations, I sought these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-heffernan/i-began-to-think-that-melancholy-was-a-dialect-that-only-some-people/)

[Virginia Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-heffernan/)

> [Ebonics - or black English, as I prefer to call it - is one of a great many dialects of English. And so English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ebonics-or-black-english-as-i-prefer-to-call-it-is-one-of-a-great/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you think of music as a universal language, it still has some very powerful dialects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/if-you-think-of-music-as-a-universal-language-it-still-has-some-very/)

[Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/)

> [I know how a Manipuri is different from a Mizo or someone from Shillong. It's culturally very different... the food is also very different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayani-gupta/i-know-how-a-manipuri-is-different-from-a-mizo-or-someone-from/)

[Sayani Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayani-gupta/)

> [I am lucky to have been gifted with a good ear and the ability to mimic. If I can hear it... I can replicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-atkin-downes/i-am-lucky-to-have-been-gifted-with-a-good-ear-and-the-ability-to/)

Robin Atkin Downes

> [I'm good with dialect. Some actors do it immediately; other actors never quite get it. It's something I've always really enjoyed and something I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/i-m-good-with-dialect-some-actors-do-it-immediately-other-actors/)

[Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/)

> [I guess I'd always mocked the American accent. I didn't consider it a respectable dialect, but I was told that it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callan-mcauliffe/i-guess-i-d-always-mocked-the-american-accent-i-didn-t-consider-it-a/)

[Callan McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callan-mcauliffe/)

> [From the time of the North Briton of the unprincipled Wilkes , a notion has been entertained that the moral spine in Scotland is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galt/from-the-time-of-the-north-briton-of-the-unprincipled-wilkes-a-notion/)

[John Galt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galt/)

> [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/)

[Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/)

> [Language is so specific to art, all the way to the past in China. Previously, people were not allowed to include various regional dialects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jia-zhangke/language-is-so-specific-to-art-all-the-way-to-the-past-in-china/)

[Jia Zhangke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jia-zhangke/)

## More by Thomas Hardy

> [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“She was in a sound sleep, Jude, dying of anxiety lest she should have caught a chill which might permanently injure her, was glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/she-was-in-a-sound-sleep-jude-dying-of-anxiety-lest-she-should-have/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [You ride well, but you don't kiss nicely at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-ride-well-but-you-don-t-kiss-nicely-at-all/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [You could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes; and even her fifth would flit over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-could-sometimes-see-her-twelfth-year-in-her-cheeks-or-her-ninth/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“It was mid-May time, bringing with it weather not, perhaps, quite so blooming as that assumed to be natural to the month by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-was-mid-may-time-bringing-with-it-weather-not-perhaps-quite-so/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Some folk want their luck buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folk-want-their-luck-buttered/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Measurement of life should be proportioned rather to the intensity of the experience than to its actual length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/measurement-of-life-should-be-proportioned-rather-to-the-intensity-of/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-was-court-martialed-in-my-absence-and-sentenced-to-death-in-my/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“It being the first time in his life that he had touched female fingers under water, Dick duly registered the sensation as rather a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-being-the-first-time-in-his-life-that-he-had-touched-female/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“As soon as she could discern the outline of the house, it had all its old effect upon Tess's imagination. Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“The Sinister Spirit sneered: 'It had to be!' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sinister-spirit-sneered-it-had-to-be-and-again-the-spirit-of-pity/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/justice-was-done-and-the-president-of-the-immortals-in-aeschylean/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

[Explore all 561 Thomas Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

## More Beast quotes

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/)

[John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/)

> [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/)

[Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/)

> [As a beast of toil an ox is fixed capital. If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [« He squeezed his hands into fists. I picked up a grapefruit-sized rock and handed it to him. It went flying. Home run, Beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-squeezed-his-hands-into-fists-i-picked-up-a-grapefruit-sized-rock/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/)

[Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/)

> [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/)

[Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/)

> [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/)

[Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/)

> [“He's a beast. A monster. And he looks like he wants to devour me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/he-s-a-beast-a-monster-and-he-looks-like-he-wants-to-devour-me/)

[J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/)

> [ Antichrist is the pope and the Turk \[Muslim\] together. A beast full of life must have a body and soul. The spirit or soul… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/antichrist-is-the-pope-and-the-turk-muslim-together-a-beast-full-of/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/)

[Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/)

> [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/)

[Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/)

[Browse all 1,640 Beast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Dialect words are those terrible marks of the beast to the truly genteel.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Hardy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-of-the-beast-to-the-truly/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beast"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-of-the-beast-to-the-truly/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/thomas-hardy-410_beast_dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-o_1209204.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/thomas-hardy-410_beast_dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-o_1209204.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/thomas-hardy-410_beast_dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-o_1209204.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Dialect words are those terrible marks of the beast to the truly genteel.” — Thomas Hardy",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Thomas Hardy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Dialect words are those terrible marks...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-of-the-beast-to-the-truly/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/dialect-words-are-those-terrible-marks-of-the-beast-to-the-truly/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
