Language Appreciation & Interpretation

An interesting quote in the novel was hidden in an exchange between Janie and Pheoby: "They know mo' 'bout yuh than you do yo' self. An envious heart makes a treacherous ear. They done 'heard' 'bout you what they hope done happened.'
'If God don't think no mo' 'bout 'em then Ah do, they's a lost ball in de high grass'"(5)
What is most peculiar is the statement by Phoeby, that "An envious heart makes a treacherous ear"; the peculiarity being that her dialect disappeared. Contrary to her use of simple words, Phoeby suddenly uses the words "envious" and "treacherous", with no use of the foreshortening apostrophes as Zora was apt to do with her character's speech. Perhaps this break of character is a sign that gossip will soon become a motif in the novel, or that it is a major theme.
Apart from this curious wording, the meaning of the exchange itself attracted me. Pheoby understands why gossip seems to focus on Janie, and it is for the simple reason that she is a good-looking woman who is able to get young men. The other women possess these envious hearts, and want nothing more than to see her downfall. Thus, they have treacherous ears, making them hear what they want to hear. They want to hear that she's engaging in scandalous activities, and so they twist the facts to validate their fantasy. Hurston makes the statement that this is an inevitable part of life; Janie's statement is Hurston's suggestion: to simply ignore them. Instead of suggesting that the gossipers should be stopped or taught a lesson, Hurston instead compares them to a "lost ball in de high grass"; they shouldn't be chased after because it is futile. The best mode of action is to simply ignore them and move on with life.