In Chapter 6, Miss Rachel Haverford demonstrates her distinctive Southern dialect by telling Dill, "Do-o-o Jee-sus, Dill Harris! Gamblin' by my fishpool? I'll strip-poker you, sir!" (Lee, 34). Rachel Haverford's diction is similar to many of the characters living in Maycomb, Alabama, and she readily uses slang when she speaks.
Scout also shares the same Southern dialect as many of the citizens in her town when she speaks. Scout uses plenty of slang when communicating, which is revealed in her diction. In Chapter 8, Scout tells Miss Maudie, "Shoot, we can rake him up in a jiffy" (Lee, 47). Scout uses the term "jiffy" to say that they will rake up the remainder of their creation quickly.
In Chapter 9 , Uncle Jack's diction reveals that he is an educated man when he speaks to Scout after she fights Francis. Uncle Jack says, "Such conduct as yours required little understanding. It...
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was obstreperous, disorderly, and abusive—" (Lee, 54). Using the word "obstreperous" to describe Scout's unruly behavior reveals Uncle Jack's erudite nature.
Miss Maudie also demonstrates unique diction when she speaks, revealing her Southern background. Miss Maudie tells Scout in Chapter 10, "Not being wheeled around yet, am I? Neither's your father. But I must say Providence was kind enough to burn down that old mausoleum of mine..." (Lee, 57). By referring to her faith as Providence and comparing her home to a "mausoleum," Miss Maudie reveals her intelligent nature.
Diction refers to the writer's or the speaker's distinctive vocabulary or style of expression. One unusual such choice is Miss Maudie's accusation that Jem and Scout's snowman was "an absolute morphodite." This is another way of saying "hermaphrodite." Calling it a "morphodite" is either an accident on her part or intentional slang.
Jem and Scout have the same dialect. For example, when Jem sees Atticus take out the rabid dog, he says, "'d you see him, Scout? 'd you see him just standin' there?...'n' all of a sudden he just relaxed all over...." This is a typical style of diction for southerners.
Scout had been pestering Miss Maudie about finding something about Atticus to be proud of, and after this incident, Miss Maudie asks her if she still thinks her father can't do anything. Scout replies, "Nome"--a shortened form of "No Ma'am."
Also note the difference in how various characters refer to black people. When the Nathan Radley shoots to scare the kids away from his house, Miss Maudie tells Jem that "Mr. Radley shot at a Negro in his collard patch." Miss Stephanie, however, uses the less respectful word: "[Mr. Nathan] says if anybody sees a white nigger around, that's the one...."
Diction choices such as these reflect the characters' origins, educations, and biases.