Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-11-22

peafin8 an angel OUT waning
Sleeping! meath verdure soft sleeping;
Beauteous the bed Of her keeping.
Best Of love, like Heavens above.
Watches her babe there but sleeping.
Inronds Upon Enslish.
Under the above very appropriate
heading, the October number OF blaen-
,cood has an article upon the now woras
and phrases which have been coined on
this side Of the Atlantic, and are getting
to have more or less currency IN Eng
land. Considering the usual anti-Amer-
lean prejudices of BlackTood, the article
is exceptionally fair and moderate, OIL.
though it occasionally shows that latent
and undying conceit which we fear VIII
eve characterize English writers. mus
the Blackpood writer kindly allows Eng
lishmen to accept our "slang words,
"when the Americans borrow words
local In England or Scotland, such words
being good in themselves, and express
i've Of meanings not otherwise to be rem
dered so forcibly or completely" But
suppose the words are "good in them
selves" ETC., and have had an equally
legitimate birth in some part of this
country
The writer, however, is candid enough
to admit that many of the words errone-
| ously considered as Americanisms aro
really Of old English origin. The fact
is, that in New England the common di-
alect is far nearer to the pure English
of the time Of King James II. than it is
in any part of Old England. Our in
vcntions in the way Of new words are
numerous, because, owing to the con-
slant intermingling or our people and
the universal habit of reading newspa-
pers,a "pat," ingenious or harmonious
| phrase or word adopted in one part of
the country soon becomes known every
where, and is incorporated into everyday
speech. There is both moro originality
Of invention and a greater facility in the
circulation of new words than with our
sluggish and heavy cousins across the
water. OF course this renders US all
the moro liable to have our language
distorted by new and doubtful accre-
tons Of this sort.
Among the words supposed to have
an American origin, but really Of IN
English ancestry, the Biaek~ood writer
mentions "bender," which he says was
originally introduced by the Scotch, and
quotes Allen Ramsey to prove it. Our
beautiful word " fall I" was also once
common in England when tho English
mind was more susceptible to poetic
phrases than at present. The word
umcech," to skulk, was in common use
in Shakspeare's time. "Muss," almost
always regarded as ar Amerlcanism, has
its genuine Bowery significance as used
in "Antony and Cleopatra" Even our
common word platform" in its polit-
ical sense, is to be found in Shakespeare
and Hooker.
Equally orthodox aucestries are made
out for such i~nelcgant words rs I" rile,"
usag," slick" Slide" "silver,"
"sq1elch," "squirm," "start" and
wilt" All of these words, excepting
"bendor," are approved by Blaekpood
as "worthy Of the favor Of English
writer's and speakers"
The writer apprchsnds that with the
AUGMENTATION Of English politics, the
political slang of this country will DO
imported to supply new exigencies-
such words, for instance, as " caucus"
"buncombe," "lobbying," "wirc-pull-
ing" "axe-grinding, ''mass-meeting,"
and MISUNDERSTANDING" Undoubt-
edly they will, for the things will de-
mand names, and the English will find
these done to hand for them in better
style than any they are likely to invent.
There are, it seems, three pure Ameri-
canisms (which are knocking loudly ut
our English gates for admission, and
which are certain to be admitted sooner
or later on their merits; and these are
ubogus," skedaddle and "dead-
heads" Perhaps so, although writers
of good English in this country have, rs
yet, seer no such necessity.
Other words, quoted as Amcricanisms,
which, "clamor as they will, for ad-
mission into the language, ought not to
be allowed to pass the threshold of that
stately house." are, I" ornate" "do-
nate and " appreciate" The first and
last Of these words are in no respect
able degree Americanisms, and have not
approached near enough to the threshold
of our word-sanctuary to even "knock
for admission" The second is often
used by newspaper reporters and coun-
try school-teachers and preachers, but
has never met with favor in any high
quarters on this side Of the Atlantic.
Locate" another word Of the same
class, has a more extended acceptance,
owing to the fact that it is q convenient
phrase with our Western settlers, and
that it has received whatever sanction
can BIO derived from its use in the laws
of Congress. It is not used in the col
umns of the Evening Post.
We are surprised to find the Black
GOOD writer admitted that lengthy |"
has made good its place in the lam
guagQ." Not here, at oil events. If
the English choose to adopt such verbal
brats" as this, and give them the
name of Americanisms, they simply
show their W bad taste, and ignor-
ance of what good usage is over here.
They certainly evinee a strong tendency
in this direction, and add to the enor-
nifty of their d~egeneracy by saddling
their verbal peccadilloes OF US. The
| difference between US and the English,
as Blaekwood admits, is that VIC are
more independent in the manufacture
of slang, "and generally prefer the
homemade to the imported article"
while the latter use their own slang and
take ours at secondhand.
The Blackpood writer does not object
to the legitimate expansion of the Ian
guage, whether the expansion come
from the new or the old home Of the
race" He does, however, and rightly,
object to corruptions and vulgarisms,
and says elf we require new words we
have an immense mine Of treasure in
the English of the days Of Piers Plough
man, from which we can advantageously
borrow
"Ancient words
That como from the poetic quarry as sharp
as swords"
He gracefully admits, too, that " into
this treasure the Americans are dipping
more deeply than we; and so far tho