At the time of the novel through today, Holden's speech rings true to the colloquial speech of teenagers. Holden, according to many reviews in the Chicago Tribune, the New Yorker, and the New York Times, accurately captures the informal speech o

As Holden's vocabulary and outlook on life demonstrate to us his character as a fictional persona, the realistic flavor of his vocabulary mixed with emotion unfailingly ties him with the harsh realities of adolescence and the youth of his time.

From the last two examples, another colloquialism can be seen. Holden has a habit of ending his descriptions with tag phrases such as "and all" or "or anything." (Salzman, 1991). Not only does Holden speak like this in the beginning of the novel, but throughout the book, making this pattern a part of his character. One could imagine Holden frequently ending his sentences with "and all," realizing it is a character trait since not all teenagers used that phrase. So the "and all" tag to Holden's speech served to make his speech authentic and individual. (Salzman, 1991). Salinger intentionally used such speech patterns to help individualize Holden, yet to also make him a believable teenager of the early 1950's.

f an average intelligent, educated, northeastern American adolescent (Costello, 1990). Such speech includes both simple description and cursing. For example, Holden says, "They're nice and all", as well as "I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything." In the first instance, he uses the term "nice" which oversimplifies his parents' character, implying he does not wish to disrespect them, yet at the same time he does not praise them. At best he deems them as "nice and all." Holden further cuts short his description, but in a more curt manner, when he states he will not tell his "whole goddam autobiography or anything." From the start the reader picks up Holden's hostility and unwillingness to share his views stric!

tly by his use of language (Salzman, 1991).

The Catcher in the Rye gained much of its notoriety for the language used in it, particularly the crude words (Gwynn, 1958). Like most colloquial uses of body parts, accidents of birth, or religious connotations, Holden does not strictly make use of words in reference to their original meaning. The word "hell" is a

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