Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-12-07
A Hint from "A Student.
"THE USE OF LANGUAGE"
A READER.

"THE USE OF LANGUAGE"
This heading, which a correspondent
has placed over the authorizations Yer
Sap. {? ?, suggests three ideas, all of which
must be considered, together, before it
will be safe to speculate upon any one
separately.
In this connection use implies,
1. Necessity or usefulness.
2. Custom or usage.
3. Employment or using.
Now, we use language, as a necessity, to
express our thoughts; to make known
our wants; to convey to the minds of
others the ideas that are pictured in our
minds; to impart such information as we
gather by observation and testimony.
Subtle indeed are the processes by which
the different languages have been devel.
oped; each language has made it's own
laws, and grammarians and critics have
been successful only 50 far as they have
discovered these laws and have submitted
I'LL QutSLiOuS az LISlE
The more common words and forms of
expression have been, to q great extent,
the simultaneous vox populi; but 10 our
literature, many words and forms of ex-
preston have made their appearance,
from time to time, in the speech and
writings of scholars and thinkers. The
parentage of these words and forms has
been q passport to permanent places
among our idiomz, and 9rammars must
conform.
This usage determines what language
we shall use, and every grammar, worthy
of consultation, will be an impartial re-
cord of this usage. Let us then consult
usage if we wish to use language cor
reetly or teach others.
Shall we say, and teach our pupils to
say, "a house is building" "a we'll ia dig
ging?' etc. Our critic, in his objections
to this form, has drawn mainly upon the
reductj0 0d a5S,lrdum.
be quite ambiguous in some expressions,
but those expressions are not uthorizod.
But the supposed questions which our
critic thinks must linger like deadly
shades around these active forms. ace
much more absurd than the forms them
selves. Who oan misunderstood the
statement, "Tbe house is building ?"
Who would ask, what is the house build
ing2 What honest sexton would be
frightened from his duty by the sppara-
ton of "the grave is digging" lest be
should be buried alive? There can be
nothing ambiguous or ridiculous in the
authorized active forms they are
stamped with the progressive spirit of the
age ; they exhibit the wonderful fexibil-
ity of cur mother tongue, avoid circum-
locution, and have more vivaoity than the
corresponding passives.
The practical Yankee comprehends
their true meaning; he enjoys their con-
else and business-like aspect. Yet, we do
not advance these remarks as authorities
we appeal to good usage.
Our best grammars notice the fact that
transitive verbs are sometves passive,
even in the active form. This field
ploughs we'll 'Your poem reads smooth-
1y.' Wheat sells for dollar a bushel'
Parallel with the last are the expressions,
Wheat ia selling we'll 'farms are sellirg
low etc. Aud [ submit for critics, This
grave digs easily
10 the same way, conceive that the in
transitive verbs burn, heat, pay, settle,
etc, came into use.
The wood burns, tie water heats,
have a bill to pay Ito be paid, sn account
to settle. and IAN ak to grind
Further, it is the established practice,
in the progressive form, to use the simple
participle with the passive Specification,
unless the compound psrtieiple is abso-
lutely necessary to avoid ambiguity.
4 guessed that some mischief was con-
triving.-Swiff.
Where new church is now building
Everett.
while these sffairs we've trausacting in
Europe. '-Bancrsft.
The fortress was building living.
AN attempt was making in the Eng
lish Parliament'-D. Webste~
the church now erecting in the city of
New York.'--N. A. Review.
But, Where the new rife-practice was
being introduced. Atlantic Monthly.
'Yeur friend is being buried Harper's
Magazine.
In the two last sentences the compound
form is necessary.
Says Marsh, in his Lectures on the
English Language, The phrase, the house
is being built for 'the house ia building,
is an awkward neologism, to which nei-
Their intelligence, intelligibility, nor Gym
tactical congruity demands. and the use
of which ought therefore to be discounte-
nanced, as an attempt at the artificial im-
provement of the language in point
which needs no amendment"
Again, he says, The participial form