THE 5 FUNCTIONS OF DIALOGUE IN A
STORY
By Andrea Feccomandi | August 1, 2021 |
Every day we spent a million words. There are several reasons to talk with someone,
whether it is a colleague for work, a friend, or anyone else. Sometimes we just talk to pass the
time and make conversation.
On the contrary, in narration, there is always a good reason to talk and add dialogue.
So, what are the 5 functions of a dialogue? In general, they have a specific dramaturgical
purpose.
Let’s see them in detail.
The 5 functions of a dialogue
Mainly, there are 5 different functions of dialogue in a story. These are recapped below:
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Show a character through their voice
Advance the plot
Provide information about the time and place of the narration
Break the monologue of the narrator
Use the flashback to present memories
#1 Show a character through their voice
The first one shows a character through their conflicts, silences, and also contradictions.
The reader can better know all the sides of the character’s behavior by understanding their
background, past and inner self.
#2 Advance the plot
The second function is to advance the plot. As we have already seen in our journey through
the narrative techniques, the “show, don’t tell” one teaches that it is better to show and not to
tell in a story. This is very useful to catch the reader’s attention and to maintain it at a high
level. Read the insight about the “show, don’t tell” technique.
But dialogues are also significant to create the storyline because, thanks to dialogue, the
writer can easily bring the readers inside the scene. They can also interact with the character
by understanding the use of the voice, words, and how to act.
#3 Provide information about the time and place of the story
Thirdly, a dialogue can provide information and details about the story’s time and place.
When you read a dialogue, you, as a reader, can notice an increase in the rhythm of the
narration. A scene is always described through the eyes and emotions of a character.
Besides that, through dialogue is possible to give details about the time of the
narration. Vocabulary, expressions, and idioms are fundamental to this goal. For example, in
1920, people spoke differently and with different terms in paragon as today. At the same
time, many particulars about the place are given through dialogue.
Thanks to the accent, words, and traditions, the reader can understand a lot about
the location of the story.
#4 Break the monologue of the narrator
Among these three main good reasons, there are other motives to use dialogue in the story.
If you think a narration without dialogue is just a simple monologue of the narrator. The
writer tells and sees everything from their point of view, without narrative breaks of any
kind.
Descriptions, reflections, actions: everything is planned by the writer without any other
force coming into play.
For this reason, dialogue can stop the repetitiveness of a long narration.
#5 Use the flashback to present memories
Dialogue through the flashback narrative technique can introduce and unlock a memory,
which is useful to better understand the present situation.
Flashback is a technique that allows the reader to live the character’s past and explains their
characteristics, fears, and experiences well.
Good dialogue illuminates what people are not saying.
Robert Towne