The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-04-19
TIE CHOICE OF WORDS.
[Harper'S Bazaar. |

DdZdT.I
The following are few of the more
common errors made in the choice of
words:
First, more words are used than are
necessary.
Second, long word is taken when
short one would be far better.
Third, words are used in wrong
meanings.
Fourth, pronouns are used so indis-
criminately that we never know who's
who.
The inclination to use long words,
and many Of them, is the practice very
often of men who are imperfectly edu-
Gated. Workmgmen, for instance, who
have read little more than their fell
lows, show off their greater knowledge
by the use of words they themselves
| impezfectly understand.
An old gentleman acquaintance has
the following story as an illustration
of the same thing. At one time he
was teacher in the south of Scotland.
The minister one day entered the school
when class happened to be reading
the thirty-second chapter Of Genesis,
containing the account of the meeting
of Esau and Jacob. The minister be-
gan to examine the class. "What,"
said he, "was there in the circumstan-
ces Of Esau that was calculated to
awaken an apprehension in the mind
Of jacob" No answer The question
was repeated in terms slightly varied,
but still no reply. At last our friend
the teacher asked permission TO ask
the question himself, and he did so in
the following words: "The minister
wishes to know what made Jacob
afraid of Esau." Immediately the
whole class replied, "He had 400 men
with him."
Many of the pithiest and most beau
tiful passages in our literature are
composed nearly of monosyllables.
The best writing, might, as rule be
read by child. In the fine old Scotch
version Of the Tooth Psalm, there is not
a word Of more than two sylables, and
scarcely dozen of these.
Many Of the most beautiful passages
in Shakespeare might be read by little
this, for instance:
''NOw in the name of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,
That he is grown so great? Age, thou art Sham'd
Rome, thou hast lost the breed Of noble bloods
When went there by an age, since the great
Bnt it was fam'd with more than with one man?"
Our language, although it is a most
|eonglomerate affair now. is drawn
principally from two great sources,
Saxon and Latin. We cannot do with
out our Latin words; no writer can
get along without them; but still it has
been proved from tables we have seen
that the more Saxon one can use the
better. Almost all our older and sim
pier ideas are expressed by Saxon
words. Dean Afford wakes Wroth
against newspaper writer's; he blames
journalists, often unjustlY, we think.
He says: "Our journals seem, indeed,
determined to Danish our common
Saxon words altogether. You never
read in them of a man, a aOona071, or
child. A man is an individual, or
person, or a party; woman is a. female,
or if unmarried, a yousag perssn-which
expression, in the newspapers, is always
of the feminine gender
Now the journals are not altogether
to be blamed for this. 1t is the COM
mon usage of society. In ancient days
the world was divided into Jews and |
Gentiles; later we had clergy and laity;
now we have ladies and gentlemen,
and the other people, to describe whom,
we have few choice terms such as the |
above-named-a person, a party, an in
etc. Were we radical enough,
we might inquire the meaning of the
use OF such words. Is it that to call
the lower orders men and women
would be to admit a generic term OF
which we are ashamed? Among other
of the use of newspaper |