The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-06-30
NOW WE TALK.
The Dialects OF itie Various Sections
OF tsse Union.
IFrom Appleton,s Journal

tRrom AppletonB JOURNAL
Let man go to .Congress," as we say,
and he will soon find that he is amid va
riety of dialects. The House OF Repre-.
eentatives assemblies its embers from
every portion OF the Union, and although
many OF the members are sufficiently
educated and travelled 10 have shed
many Of their pccuIidrities Of speech,
there will still be found abundant op.
portunity to study our dialects. Many
will betray their natIve," as Kentuckians
term it, at the first opening OF their
lips. It may only be q cry of "Orderi i"
or it may only be an address to the chair,
MIR. Speaker" or it may only be an ailll.
sion to 1.-THE gentleman from New York"
or "the gentleman from Virginia ".-it is
enough. In casual looking in on the Sem
ate have heard as characteristic New-Eng-
landisms as are to be found in Sam Slick"
and as choice specimens of Tennessee elo.
quepcc as are to be found reported in the
pages OF "Dayy Crockett" Some years ago
it was said that Mr.. Chambers, of Pennsyl.
vania, was so yexed at the pronupc citation
given bis name by the clerk OF the House
that be at length refused to answer it. The
Clerk was Virginan, and persisted in call
ing .sJeems Chawmbersl Jeems Chawm-
bers !"
A more important variety Of our speech
is that whiclris OF 'Seotcli-Irish erlgin.. The
dialect OF Pennsylvania is mainly Scotch
Irish. This is the more remarkable when
we remember That the settlers OF PennsyI-
vania were largely Of the class OF English
Quakers. and that subsequently, the Ger
mans have come in almost overwhelming
force. From Eastern Pennsylvania the
Scotch-1rish spread abroad, going up the
Cumberland Valley into Virginia, and
crossing the AIlcghanics both in Penn
sylvania and Virginia. Their dialect is
broadly defined, both against the peo-
pie OF New York on the north and the peo-
pie of Old Virginia on the South and West.
No one at all acquainted with the Scotch
Irish dialect would be at loss to identify
the main peculiarties of speech exhibited
in all the region indicated. The Pennsyl-
vanan says "stcenth" and "lenth" for
strength and length. He says "canuIe'
and hannc" and bunnic" for candle
and handle and bundle. He says II want
out" and ~ want down for Il want TO
get out" and q want to get down." He
says he will wait on you when he says lie
will wait for you" II 4 person has had
ten over it, the Pennsylvania VIII
say vi UlUl Jllit Ht lObh SIM bhI u W Ntp
only a "brash," and he soon got "quite
better" The Pennsylvania often uses
"nor" for than, after Il comparative adiec-
tive. Que thin. is "morc nor another" or
"bctter nor another" SO "til" is often
substituted for "to" in the Pennsylvania
dialect. \ horse comes till the stable, or Il
boy till the schoo-housc. The word "in-
to - is much used for" !" in Pennsylvania.
A horse will be said to have white spot
into his forehead, or 4 field to have fine
spring of water into it. The Pcnnsylya-
mans use the word Whenever" to
signify us soon as. Thus it will be
said, "whencver the carriage came, the
lady got in." In Pennsylvania they "lift
collection" and "takc up church, and
ride to town "in machinc," with Il
horse-bcast" drawing the machine, More
over, il the horse is Il lively animal, what
some Gail "skittlsh," he will be called in
PENNSYLVANIA "a wild beast" Now, all
these peculiaritics are evidently OF Scotch
Irish origin, and by means OF them, and
others like them, we can trace in our coun-
try the movements OF the influence OF this
clement of population.
In all the South conversation is more cu-
tvatcd among educated people than at the
North. 1t is noteworthy fact that CONVEX
satiou, considered as an accomplishment,
scarcely exists ut all in our northern States.
Scarcely one educated person in hundred
is skiltu and practical talker in general
society. This is all the more remarkable
when we remember that the whole nation
is given to public talking. Let almost any
man who in parlor is wholly quiet, or
who speaks only in an awkward or embar-
rassed way, once mount stump, and he
will harangue crowd by the hour. But
aJ the South almost every educated per-
son Of either sex will converse in mixed
company with freedom, tact, and intel
ligencc. Conversation is cultivated. There
is an ambition to excel in it. From this,
no doubt, in part, it has come to pass that
pronunciation ut the South is more old
fashioned than at the North. Converse.
ton at the South has given the law to
pronunciation. while at the North we have
followed books and changed the pronun-
siaton to suit the spelling. Thus at the
South it is common. if not universal, to
hear clerk pronounced clark, and James
,Jrelncs, and keer for care, and skeer fol-
scare, regiment and summary for regiment
and seminary. And not only do 0ld.laSll'
ioned pronunciations prevail at the South,
but also old-fashioned phrases and expires
siOnS.
y young man attaining his majority be-
comes 1" one-and-twen;y instead OF "tWcn
ty one" Instead OF dining with friend
or taking tea, they eat "a meals vittles
with him.
Perhaps q sufficient number OF illustra
tons has been given OF the connection O.
our modes OF speech, yet it would hardly
| answer to dismiss the subject without some
reference to westcrniSm Of life and speech
Such words as "clearings " and " diggings ,
and "openings" point out sufficiently thu
character OF the western country.
There is that, however, in western Ian
guagc which is yet more significant Of pc
cularity in western life. Western people
are much in the habit Of using words il
odd and unexpected ways, and OF institu
! ting grotcSquc comparisons. and OF induIg
| in" in picturesque expressions. They III
dulrc in a sort Of wild freedom of speecl
which seems very truly to harmonize will
The freedom OF life belonging toa new coun
trv. For example, they prefer TO cal
! whiskey tcorn JUICE" because therein i
the conception of the 9 make" OF the ar
ticlc. And when they go further and cal
| it " chain-lightning" they very Vlvldly sc
| forth the style OF its working. They say o
man whose prctensions have been OK
posed, or who has egregiously failed in car
! rying out his plans, that he has fail &C
out" Then 4 man OF staunch character Is
not only "therc,7 but further, and cspe
cialy, lie is so safe that "he will do TO liz
to-"
4 western man, when travelling, when ht
| happens to see ii church, and desires tc
know who is its pastor, will ask the ques