Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-12-11
ON YANKEE DIALECT.

FROM THE NEW YORK EXPRESS
We have often wondered where the Yankees ve-where
they iromwhere they (except the stage, and
in the newspapes be found-who talk all the varieties of
dialect imputed TO them by their proessed mitators We
have wntered and summered for good many years va
parts of New England but say that we have
heard what passes for Yankee when heard from the
lips Of Hacke and Marble and slsbee, and Valentine and
Hlwho, by the bye is by far the best of the bunch He
does not outageousy ovestep the modesy of Yankee
ture the rest As Major Jack Downing the best Yam
kee in print is Hill the best on the stage because neither
of them caricature-much Sam Slick Halliburton to whom
his counymen give the credit the ceveest Yankee of them
all, knows nothing of the dialect He makes his hero talk
cockney, blue nose and Green Mountanese all in BREATH
Hacketts Solomon Swap" more Kentuck than Yankee
and Dan Marbles queer compound of the Yankee and
Far West His tin pedars just much like Mississippi
atboatmen, and there difference between his back
woods and seaboard Yankee.
There is doubt but that in very retired parts of
New England and of northern New York there is good
deal OF queer English spoken and queer style of speak
ing too Far down Long Island sad the broadest
kind OF what 1t customary call ankee is spoken
and Of this kind is Dr. Valentines and mixed up with the
Souhwestern) Mr. Hackets But all these together do not
make the language the style speaking of any very
considerable portion OF the people Of the country the
exception TO the rule In England tits notorious that Pc
destran traveller who starts at Lands End and, dyergng
occasionally TO the east and the west reaches Jonny rots
hears almost if not quite many dialects GALL supposed L,
be EnghS) there counties the line of his Journey
and the beauty of that the people of contiguous coun
ties in cannot understand word of each others
pdtois. There is certainly nothing Of that kind in this
country.
The best personal experience we ever had of the genu
inc Yankee occurred TO years ago. on trip 10 the
White Mountain region Of New Hampshire. II was getting
to be late in the season. when took the at
Ethan Crawfords, its way down Conway On taking
our seat, found that the only other passenger was tall
welkni bronze-visaged yet good looking man. who ap
n tO-dO of xphn had hoop
fulfilling the primal command TO man. get his living by the
of his brow. We set him down at a glance as n far
back Green Mountaineer, and good specimen that On
reaching Tom Crawiords, in the Notch, stopped to
take in any passengers he might have for us Ony one
avaed himself of the opportunity and he proved to be of the
same honorable and useful profession companion Both
were farmers and producers though the evidently
had had his bngngup much the seaboard than the
other From the moment of their meeting we could see that
they had dubious yet half confident idea that they had seen
and known each other before, and watched how
they would come TO understanding AT length after much
eyeng of each other and hens and ha the Vernon
ter introduced the conversation with suggestion that he and
the had met before which the latter (n,mat-
ing that he was New Hampshire man) replied that he
thought 50 he got into the stage New Eng
lander OF this class always calls sagecoach stage In
the of few moments they had told each other their
names, and terms Of easy footing if they had
worked adjoining farms since they had syears
of discretion 1t transped that they were both on their
way TO Portland tomake antcpaory for the sale
OF their fall stock of produce, such pork butter and other
Ia
ect in all this in its perfection and we for once had an
opportunity of testing its limitations had heard by compar
ing them with the true thing We could not mpa to the
reader any idea of it with pen would tax the
pen OF our friend the Major, and the voice and Of
Hill
After good deal Of small talk, and pause of some mi
nutes' duration, says New Hampshire TO Vermont, "Wa,
neghbor, want know heow Squar' Babcocks Bob turned
aout He beaut crooked a stick as ever see, or
heern tell on, when was up yender :"
"oh! said the other, "that ar sarpnts taken up his
sIrs irade and folers II rp smart, tell you !"
"What Doc tell Y'dont say so! Bob Babcock set
tied deown tpedin J"
"Yes be goes trucking abeaut, peorty much ar,er the
old sort Jest like his sir He oilers tea pon' round
you know, that old crier !"
We had been silent listener up this point, but there
was no keepngin longer, aud Involuntary paid
tribute to the real Yankee than had done to the
imitation.
One Of the best hits of Yankee dialect well Of
Yankee character find in the last number Of the knick
Dibocker Magazine II is description Of in Powess
studio, Florence, and 81 live Yankee" who calls in TO
sec his countryman work the 'Greek Slave He
ers, splitting and wping his lips with his hand, and the fol-
lowing coloquy ensucs
"Ie yeou Mr. Peowcrs the sculpture !" "I am sulp-
Tor, aud my is Powers" eye as; well, spected
30 they Pd me yeou wasy-e-a-s. Look here-driyin
pretty still business ell " "Sir! say plenty TO du eh
the price o. them sech yeode pcckin' meow" ~ am
have three thousand dollars for this when il is completed
"H-h.a-ty Heow much I" sThree thousand dollars"
1.hr-e.e t-ho-us-a.n-d do.-ta-r-sl Hant statewary
i- lately was callating' purchase some but sfe~
ge How; p,"" Cues. must 8, well. G%t i. ps4r%ds arade
skulpn' isl that's sartain What do they make yeou pay Tor
your tools and sf? speet my oldest boy GePas could
and eutn away things wish you'd gree to take hm as
prentice, and let him go az IT, full chse you know
while with the best OF ye-and he'd make money ew, sthem
prices 1-h-r-e-e t.k-o--sa-n-d doft-a-r-st" Aud the
q anxious inquirer left the presence.
It would be found hard 70 beat this