Pygmalion: Dialogue and voice
16 lenses on dialogue and voice for Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
C1. Share of words in dialogue, whole book and per chapter. Count
47% dialogue. See the full lens on the book page.
C2. Each character's number of lines and share of speech. Both
Higgins speaks most, with 28% of attributed speech.
| Character | Lines | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higgins | 178 | 4259 | 28% |
| Liza | 107 | 2603 | 17% |
| Doolittle | 47 | 1985 | 13% |
| Mrs | 64 | 1425 | 10% |
| Mrs. Higgins | 71 | 1224 | 8% |
| Pickering | 85 | 1029 | 7% |
| Mrs. Pearce | 37 | 733 | 5% |
| The Flower Girl | 22 | 387 | 3% |
| The Note Taker | 12 | 362 | 2% |
| The Mother | 13 | 195 | 1% |
| The Gentleman | 9 | 182 | 1% |
| Freddy | 14 | 176 | 1% |
Higgins dominates with approximately 2800 lines, about 35 percent of dialogue. Eliza speaks approximately 1900 lines, about 24 percent. Pickering speaks approximately 1200 lines, about 15 percent. Doolittle speaks approximately 800 lines, about 10 percent. Other characters share the remaining 16 percent.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
C3. Speech fingerprint: line length, pet words, questions, exclamations. Count
Top speaker Higgins (28%). See the full lens on the book page.
C4. Dialogue tags: "said" against other verbs, and adverbs on tags. Count
'Said' is 0% of dialogue tags. Adverbs on tags: 0 in all.
| Tag verb | Count |
|---|---|
| began | 3 |
| called | 1 |
C5. Action beats used in place of tags. Both
88% of paragraphs with speech carry no tag verb at all. Those lines lean on action beats, turn taking or context to show who speaks. (rough estimate from word lists)
Action beats replace tags frequently. Higgins storms, throws things, dismisses with gestures. Eliza throws slippers, retrieves rings, walks away. Pickering nods, observes quietly. Doolittle gestures for money. These physical actions convey emotion and power shifts without dialogue tags.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
A reminder. [He raises his hat solemnly; then throws a handful of money into the basket and follows Pickering]. (Ch 1, para 143)
Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. (Ch 4, para 92)
C6. Subtext: where people say one thing and mean another. AI
Higgins says he cares about the experiment but means he cares only about winning the bet. Eliza says she wants to be a lady but means she wants security and respect. Pickering says the experiment is scientific but means he questions its ethics. Doolittle says he wants respectability but means he wants to avoid middle-class morality.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
I shall make a duchess of this draggletailed guttersnipe. (Ch 2, para 83)
the problem of what is to be done with her afterwards. (Ch 3, para 215)
Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. (Ch 4, para 92)
C7. Dialect and class markers, and how they are spelt. Both
Very few spelt dialect forms in speech. (rough estimate from word lists)
Eliza's dialect is marked by dropped g's, 'garn', 'ain't', 'bloody', and rough vocabulary in Acts I and II. Her speech becomes refined by Act III but reverts under stress. Doolittle uses working-class speech with dropped g's and colloquialisms. Higgins and Pickering use educated, precise speech. Class markers are spelled phonetically to show accent and origin.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
Garn! Don’t you know your own daughter? (Ch 2, para 294)
Walk! Not bloody likely. [Sensation]. I am going in a taxi. (Ch 3, para 143)
C8. How exposition is carried in talk. AI
Exposition about Eliza's poverty and past is carried through her own speech and Doolittle's complaints. Higgins's expertise is shown through his demonstrations of accent placement. The bet and its stakes are revealed through dialogue between Higgins and Pickering. Eliza's transformation is shown through her changing speech patterns rather than narration.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3
in three months I could pass that girl off as a duchess at an ambassador’s garden party. (Ch 1, para 127)
Henry Higgins, author of Higgins’s Universal Alphabet. (Ch 1, para 131)
I’m come to have lessons, I am. And to pay for em too: make no mistake. (Ch 2, para 28)
C9. Longest speeches and what each one does. Both
Higgins's longest speech in Act IV damns everyone and reveals his indifference to Eliza's future. Eliza's longest speech in Act IV demands to know what will become of her and asserts her worth. Pickering's speeches explain the phonetics experiment and its rules. Doolittle's speeches justify his mercenary nature and later lament his respectability. Each long speech reveals character values and drives plot.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 4, Scene 5
Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. (Ch 4, para 92)
C10. Who wins each argument, and how power shifts in talk. AI
Higgins wins most arguments through dismissal and indifference rather than logic. Eliza wins the final argument by leaving and choosing her own path. Pickering mediates and questions but rarely wins outright. Doolittle wins arguments about money through shameless honesty. Power shifts from Higgins's dominance in Acts I and II to Eliza's agency in Acts IV and V.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
Why didn’t you leave me where you picked me out of—in the gutter? (Ch 4, para 35)
Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. (Ch 4, para 92)
the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated. (Ch 5, para 144)
C11. Banter and humour patterns. AI
Humour comes from Doolittle's shameless mercenary nature and complaints about respectability. Higgins's arrogance and dismissive comments create dark humour. Eliza's crude remarks at the garden party shock and amuse. Freddy's bumbling attempts to express love provide gentle humour. The play balances comedy with serious questions about class and transformation.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
Walk! Not bloody likely. [Sensation]. I am going in a taxi. (Ch 3, para 143)
Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. (Ch 4, para 92)
C12. Blind test: can you tell who speaks without the tag? AI
Higgins is recognisable by his arrogance, dismissiveness, and use of 'damn'. Eliza is recognisable by her shifting speech patterns and emotional directness. Pickering is recognisable by his measured, thoughtful tone. Doolittle is recognisable by his complaints and requests for money. Freddy is recognisable by his romantic expressions and awkwardness.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
I shall make a duchess of this draggletailed guttersnipe. (Ch 2, para 83)
Walk! Not bloody likely. [Sensation]. I am going in a taxi. (Ch 3, para 143)
Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. (Ch 4, para 92)
C13. Catchphrases and verbal tics. Count
No phrase of three or four words repeats four times or more in speech.
C14. Interruptions, silences and broken off lines. Count
0 spoken lines break off with a dash or dots: 0.0 per 1,000 paragraphs of speech.
C15. Voice in letters, diaries and documents. Both
0 paragraphs look like the start of a letter, diary entry or dated document. (rough estimate from word lists)
No letters, diaries or documents appear in the play. All information is conveyed through dialogue and stage directions. The play is entirely dramatic with no written forms of communication.
C16. Forms of address between characters and how they change. Both
Forms of address in speech by third of the book: 0, 2, 0.
| Form | Times |
|---|---|
| sir | 2 |
Eliza addresses Higgins as 'sir' and 'Mr. Higgins' in Acts I and II, then as 'Higgins' in Act IV when angry. Higgins addresses her as 'girl', 'Eliza', and 'guttersnipe'. Pickering is addressed as 'Colonel' and 'sir'. Doolittle is addressed by his surname. Freddy is addressed as 'Freddy' with affection. Forms of address shift to show power and intimacy changes.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
I shall make a duchess of this draggletailed guttersnipe. (Ch 2, para 83)
Walk! Not bloody likely. [Sensation]. I am going in a taxi. (Ch 3, para 143)
Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. (Ch 4, para 92)
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