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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45673
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45673
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I used cleaned up speech; but I only use words I have actually heard people use in casual speech (or at least _feel_ like I have heard used).

I think the trick is to stick with things real people say in conversation. To some extent this depends on the character and how well they are educated, but **_not very much_**.

I was a college professor and I am currently a research scientist; I attended college for 12 years. I have worked with (or for) a handful of people that were extremely wealthy. I haven't notice anything but very subtle differences in the casual speech patterns of either the highly educated or the very wealthy. A lack of harsh expletives, usually; but even that is not a constant.

If anything is different in the highly educated, it is occasional specificity; using a technical or medical term when it is called for. But that is seldom called for; they may _know_ their infraspinatus muscle hurts, but unless they are talking to a doctor about it, like anybody else they are going to say their shoulder hurts. Very few highly educated adults are the social dimwits wildly overrepresented in fiction, their knowledge is only on display when they think it will be understood; not to impress somebody or alienate them. If they speak they have a desire to communicate and will use words nearly everyone knows.

There may be one other distinguishing element: They tend to use words _correctly_ and pronounce them _correctly_ (although pronunciation may differ in America, UK, or other countries that vary on the same word; e.g. "aluminum". "uh LOO min um" vs. "aluminium" "ahh loo MIN ee um". Or "petri" may be pronounced "pee tree" in America or "Pet tree" in the UK; though I I've been in American labs where lifelong American scientists only use the UK pronunciation.

The same goes for the wealthy. As proven by Trump and the majority of the Congress that are multi-millionaires, as well as unscripted interviews with very wealthy actors, musicians sports stars and other entertainers, you can't really tell that somebody is wealthy just by listening to their off-the-cuff speech. Even when they don't know they are being taped.

I think this is a simplistic answer; in both senses. A simple solution is to use simple words. For dialogue, use the adverbs and simple adjectives we really use. And use an informal language pattern, but clean out 98% of the non-verbal sounds, pauses, trail offs, sentence restarts, mispronunciations, etc.

For highly educated people talking to others, occasionally interject the right technical term if the other person will understand it, and avoid _errors_ in their grammar and speech. Presume they can use their intelligence to communicate well with _almost any_ audience, without alienating them.

Original score: 3