Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-11
How We Talk.

I6CUIuS, Us StdUeu dUUf0, are peTl6CG lTOu 1SlZ,
and at least the first person buried in each
| grave can be identified.
How We Talk.
THE DIALECTS OF THE VARIOUS SECTIONS OF TIE
UNION.
From App eton's Journal
Let a man go to Congress-" as we say, and
he will soon ind that he Is amid variety of
dialects. The House OF Representatives Assem-.
bles its members from every portion OF the
| Union, and although many Of the members are
sufficiently educated and travelled to have shed
many Of their peculiarities Of speech, there Will
| still be found abundant opportunity to study
our dialects. Many will betray their native"
as Kentuckians term 1t, at the first opening of
| their lips. 1t may only be Cry OF " Orderl" or
1t may only be an address to the lair, "Mr.
Speaker" or 1t may only be an alluslon to tine
gentleman from New York." or "the gentem IN
from Virginia" 1t Is enough. In a casual look
| ing in on the Senate have heard as character
1stic New Englandsms as are to be found /;
''Sam Slick" and as choice specimens OF Ten
the pages OF "Dayy Crockett" Some years ago
1t was said that MI. Chambers, OF Pennsvlvani i.
| was so vexed at the pronunciation given his
name by the clerk Of the House that he at
length refused to answer it. The clerk was
| Nirglnian, and persisted In calling "Jenes
Cnawmbers! Jemes Chaymbers ~
A more important variety Of our speech is
that which is OF Scotch Irish origin. The da-
! lect Of Pennsyl vania is mainly Scotch Irish
! This is the more remarkable when we remem
Der that the settlers OF Pennsylvania were
largely of the class of English Quakers, and
that subsequently the Germans have come in
| almost overwhelming force. From Eastern
going up the Cumberland Valley Into Virginia,
and crossing the Alleghanies both in Pennsyl-
vania and Virginia Their dialect is broadly
defined, both against the people of New York
on the north and the people of Old Virginia on
the south and west. No one at all acquainted
with the scotch-Irish dialect would be at a loss
hibited in all the region Indicated The Penn
| sylyanian says ''strenth' and '1enth" for
strength and length. He says 'canu'e" and
shannie" and "bun1le" for candle and handle
and bundle. He says 81 want out" and Il Want
down" for 81 want to get OUT and 81 want TO
get down" He says he will wait on you waen
ne says he viii wait for you" If persoa mas
over it, the Pennsylvania will say OF MIN that
| she took SICK" but it was only a ''brash," and
he soon got quite better" The Pennsylvania
| often uses ''nor" for than after q Comparative
| adjective. one thing Is more nor another" or
| "better nor another" SO "tiu' Is often substi-
tuted for 'to" in the Pennsylvania dialect. A
| horse comes till the stable, or a boy till the
| schoolhouse. The word 'into'' Is much used
for lin" In pennsylvania. A horse Will be said
to have white spot into his forehead, or field
| TO have fine spring of water into 1t. Tne
| Pennsy lvanians use the word whenever" to
signify as soon as. Thus it Will be said 'whe l.
ever the carriage came, the lady got In" In
stake up church." and ride to town sin a ma
chine" with "horse- beast" drawing the MI
chine. Moreover, If the horse is lively ami
mai, what some call ''skttish," he will be called
In Pennsylvania "a wild beast" Now, all these
peculiar1ties are evidently OF Scotch Irish ORR
gin, and by means of them, and others like
them, we can trace In our country the move
latton.
In all the south conversation is more cult
vated among educated people than at the north.
| 1t Is noteworthy fact that conversation, con-
| s1dered as an accomplishment, scarcely exists
at all in our northern states. Scarcely one ed
| ucated person In hundred Is skilful 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
| quiet, or who speaks only In an awkward or
| embarrassing way, once mount stump, AMI he
VIII harangue a crowd by the hour. But at The
| south almost every educated person of either
sex Will converse in a mixed company with
| freedom, tact, and Intelligence. Conversation
| is cultivated there. There Is an ambition TO
excel In it. From this. no doubt in parG, it has
come to pass that pronunciation at the south is
more old-fashloned than at the north. CONVEX
sation at the south has given the law to pro-
| nunciat1on, while at the north we have followed
| books and changed the pronuncI alton to suit
the spelling Thus at the south it is common,
II lot universal, to hear clerk pronounced clark.
for scare, regiment and summary for regiment
and seminary. And not only do old-fashioned
pronunciations prevail at the south. but also
old fashioned phrases and expressions.
A young man attaining his majority becomes
"one, and twenty" instead Of ':twenty -one." In
stead of dining with friend, or taking tea, they
Perhaps a sufficient number of illustrations
has been given of the connection of our modes
| of speech, yet 1t would hardly answer to dis
miss the subject without some reference to
| westerntsm of LIE and speech. Such words az
"clearings" and "diggings" and "openings"
point out sufficiently the character Of the west
ern country.
There is that, however, in western language
which Is yet more significant OF popularity 10
western life; Western people are much In the
habit of using words In odd and unexpected
ways, and Of instituting groteSque compariSo rs,
and OF indulging in picturesque EXPIRE 5Sions.
They indulge In sort of wild freedom OF speech
which seems very truly to harmonic with the
freedom OF life belonging to a new country.
For example, they prefer to Call whisky "corn
juice" because therein Is the conception of the
make" of the article. And when they go fur
ther and call 1t 'chaln-lightning," they very
wildly set forth the style OF It's working. They
say OF man whose pretensionS have been ex-
posed, or who has egreg1ousiy failed In Garry
Ing out his plans, that he has ''fatted out"
Then man OF staunch character is not only
safe that she Will do to tie tor
western man, when travelling, when he
happens to see church. and desires to know
who Is its pastor, will ask the question, "Who
| runs the concern" IL is common everywhere
to hear the word "badly" used for "much" or
greatly" Thus, man caught in shower
will say he wants an umbrella very Gladly.
But see the emphasis which the western man
obtains by a little twisting of the expression.
He says, 81 want an umbrella the worst kind"
Yet, II at the same time we study the dialects
OF other countries, we shall find the people OF
this whole land are one In language In higher
and more perfect sense than Is true Of any other
nation-one, also, in race, history, literature,
religion, geography-and that nowhere under
the sun are seen so many unities among
people. of such high and controlling sort, as
exists in references to American people.
Mr. r.