Jenks' Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1803-1805, 1804-12-17
fCR TIE PORTLAND GhZir.E.

,s Hos. 20.
&c delicate arr: eaocas il, the choice
New sostis, ard lately made, ,,,ali ercd, claim,
Il fFo,a tirsai'n ioarcS ,Ley gently aic.al,
s FRANCIS.
HAVING in r,Y late mani css aimed prnci
pa'ly 4 the neral inft,uGon Of my readers
they will freely allow me 70 detcant on a differ
em topic, which, although kttle mstreiting IL
Nielf, and lcfs important IN its ton'sqlencss
dcferves fome attention from fn-h, as are ftu
dious OF elegance ID writing or conversation.
Nothing is to an Engiiihman M re obfsrva
bic, CT more dif5ufing, than the barbarou;
treatment, orr native language receives from
tte ynajorltyo of Americans. propricty, which
" eoniiits in uGng fuch words, as the brt Wi.
/" ters have appropriated t, the ideas, we III
g tr,:d to exrrcis by them" is perhaps not more
commonly dieregar'ed here, than in our r,o,he,
country for the vulgar Of all nations, who are
hcsdlels in forming their opinions, may bs fvp
rcied no iefs negligent in the adaptation Of
words 10 convey them. Little attention. will he
paid to drefs, when the body is treated wi,ilou,
csution and wi'hou, regard. But th- violation
OF purity, IN the Introduction of words, which
do rot belong to our lanSuag-, is the general
faux, Of which now complain.
he Engliih tongue is commonly thought TO
yield the pre-eminence IN harmony to the Italian,
anil, BE- lief, fitted fer til: sa!: and yivaci,y of
convert tion. than the French yet in variety Of
rodulation il equals the fisit, anil in this reipcGt
Is indeed inferior to none, ancient or modern,
except the Greek; Eut pauc;ry Of words can
perhaps with lsls iuilic- b. attributed to us,
than to any other mc@crns. From many CIR
c.mstances, particularly the fuccciliyc conqueA,
OF the Saxons. Danes, aud Normaas, and the
fupeIior !ciencc Of the Engilh philosophers
Cur language has an un.ivalled richneis and CO.
piSufne(s Of cxpre!lfon. Why then are new
words introduced, ESPECIALLY If they b. not re-
commended BY any in,ootinefs Of liquid, or az
peri.y Of basilf confcnants. but are inherited
only to expre!s the mott common ideas, for
which we have already numerous fynonirncs?
mis-. one. which mob frequently otten.is, is
srsY. This word is nfej, as an adjective, to
cxprcfs elaitiehy, or quiekreS of motiOn, bat,
whether il be Of Indian. OF Irifh dcfcens, we cam
no, afcer,ai:,. However, il IS not Englifh, nor
docs it re6cmble the features Of AIRY natural
born lutieSf, and its mean appearance renders
it unwc. thy Of admillson INTO polite connpanv.
Another is ILr. He only, who hates !" the
concord Of fsyrct POUNDS" could have in,rod,s-
ced this barbarous phrafe. Hc may indec.!
plead, that his obj-a was'shc pubic gs'od FOX,
as I'LL has 10 perform tie functions ola noun,
an adjective, and an adve,, b, 1t were beR, thai
a new word lloxld rcleaie il from ion,e Of lis
duty. But l anfwer. thst the different Offices
Of Ill are .liAineny marked, and, that, belides
the difficulty Of 2ronouncing his name, this in
trpder is contcmrtib.e in appearance, ufslcfs iu
action, and unfupporsed BY the ap. rotation Of
any -rfpcdablc writer.
VanfAre l have tometimcs heard from the
pulpit. Surely n,iniaers fhould not be euil,y
Of countcrfcring, or Of giving encouragement
to balc -cnrsency.' If they would derive it !rom
VARIATION. they fhoud remember the leAcns
Of their yoatt. Verbs are ufually thought q:
earlier origin, than nouns. VARY is the ecnu-
me Englih word
APPRECIATE riffs or no fcandaticn. but The
authority Of tho multisude. II Pounds well, ana
may almcIt claim TO be na,uralizrd, rs ono q
she parce dctcrta Of Horace but, until fo,ne
great author has given j, his fanttion. the infe-
Yor votarics Of literature cannot uie il whh pro-
priety.
But 70 barbaifm more commonly oecurs.
than LENGTHY. have fometimes attempted
,olear,yw.lat divcrGty Of meaning exits between
This and sAs leeis,natc .monofylIable, long, hut
have been unfu .crfsful 1t has however this
peculiarly, that it rs applied only to literary per-
formanccs: Wcnsvrr hear of a LExGTHY life,
or LENGTHY piece Of timber |; ard it iecns
highly abturd. st,a. = saaa <u4gar er;thct 'houd
he ever uied 10 mark properly Of the prodnc-
tvps Of genius and learning. This is not found
in familiar epi,,ies ard ordinary conscria'ian
only, bu, frequently errers rke bar Of or courts
Of juaice; however, as rhe gentlemen Of el,e
law have, Tiuppofc, lits'e eprortunisy for I'M.
rrcvc nene in fvlc. they are more esxtuieabse