What to say if not 'said'? (Has the verb 'said' become obsolete?)

 What to say if not 'Said'?

Has the verb 'said' become obsolete?

Recently, someone (on Twitter?) raised the question: "Does anybody else hate the word 'said' as much as I do?" which I took to imply that this particular person has a personal dislike of the verb in question. I asked for enlightenment, genuinely curious as to why this might be the case, but have yet to receive a 

response.

It did, however, raise a valid question. Is the word 'said' genuinely unnecessary or obsolete?

There is a great deal of writing advice in circulation advising against over-use of this word in dialogue. But I argue that 'said', in the same way as any other word, has its place if used in the right way and in the right places. It's all about context.

To my way of thinking, 'said' is a neutral speech tag. It merely defines 'who' spoke without assigning emphasis to the manner in which the content was spoken. 

As an example, take the dialogue content, "Run."

"Run", on its own, without context, holds no specific meaning other than to 'move quickly'. Let's put it in two very different context settings.

 1) Danger is imminent. An enemy is moving rapidly towards Bob and Joe, be it a swarm of some horrendous flying critters, a stampede, a tsunami, (you get the idea). The speaker, in this instance, is not going to merely 'say', "Run." The dialogue would undoubtedly read something along the lines of "Run," Bob shouted/ screamed/ yelled/ roared. . . 

In this instance, it is the context that determines the dialogue tag. The context is equally as important as the content and thus the tag fits the context before the content. It doesn't so much matter 'what' was conveyed but is more about 'how' it was conveyed. 

2) Bob and Joe are quietly walking side-by-side on a sunny afternoon, having a casual conversation. "What do you normally do in the evenings?" Bob asked Joe. "Run," said Joe. 

Now, in this instance, the emphasis is on the content. Joe is divulging information in response to Bob. It isn't about 'how' it's said but about 'what' is said, and a neutral speech tag here is the most appropriate. 

My personal rule is to try to use all things sparingly and in their proper place. Sure, it's nice to be able to add emphasis to speech but an entire dialogue seasoned with a multitude of mumblings, mutterings, shoutings, whisperings, scoffings, and the like is going to get pretty cluttered and feel pretty awkward very quickly. My guess is you'll lose the reader's attention equally as quickly as they begin to think your characters have verbal epilepsy.

Has 'said' truly become obsolete? No. It's a necessary and vital part of dynamic English when used in its proper place. 

(P.S. Useful trick: read your work out loud and test the rhythm of the dialogue. You'll know for yourself soon enough if you've used too many or too few of the appropriate tags.)

There is a great deal of useful information on dialogue, speech tags, and appropriate ways and means in which to use alternatives to 'said' available if you look for it and it is well worth the research. 

Disclaimer: All opinions and observations are my own. I am simply a writer, writing.

Happy writing!