Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-10-23
: = ; 4


A good STORY coznes on ffnn
ton. Ik=is said thai : membsf H u
the C0nsinensal Embassies there ..
x;an, German q AusiFiafI
talking With Tankee girl ea III
said 10 her. rAh. beg pardea !
fear | must ask y0n to speak E4an -
/ learned M English il Lsbd0r s.
deed r. vas the reply; *lheu m
70 So lIsaI fear The eouFs & &85 {
zt1p. Nv feasaeN
/ ; : ! Szsz aass sps,sasA< ssz 1,,.
deserved, and BE will p.ss-z
saucy to . Yankee gisl aga q. &c
time 10 eoEne.
Although this sharp retcEt was fully
justified by the iii manners Of the per-
son who suffered from IL, there is, new
eFiheless, in the speech Of too many
Americsns some occasions, although no
sufficient justification. for The charge Im-
piled in the intimatiOn that their lam
guage sounds strangely in ears that
LEANED their knowledge Of English
speech in London. OF course, the pre-
tense that there is any essential differ
ence, or even any accidental difference
OF consequence, between The speech Of
people Of fair intelligence and educa-
lion in the two countries is absurd.
There il not the semblance Of ground
for it. There are differences OF pitch
and intonation of voice, and Of inflec-
tion, but this concerns the mere man-
ner Of speaking, and like differences
equal, at least in degree, may be easily
discovered between the sueeeh OF Eng
lish people born and bred in several
parts OF the island: as indeed there may
be between the speech Of the natives OF
the north, the south, the east, and the
west OF any country.
But there remains the fact that in the
enumeration Of certain words there are
vocal habits common among Americans
which, although they may be unprac-
ticed by the best speakers here, and
may even be offensive to them, are yet
peculiarly American in certain sense
that OF being heard in America and
never heard in England. Nor are some
Of these habits of speech confined to the
ignorant and the Ill-bred. There may
be observed in persons who are we'll ed-
ucated, and who have all their lives
been accustomed to the most cultivated
society.
OF these peculiar habits or tricks of
speech, not one is more remarkable than
the manner in which the monosyllable
Of assent is uttered by very gF< s. num-
L. @e a. ell nl..n~&~a 49, Al -
people in this country. In England. IL
we leave out OF consideration the rustic
and the mining folks Of the rudest and
remotest regions, this word is uttered
with a remarkable uniformity of pro-
nunciation and intonation. II comes
from the lips short, clear and crisp, yes.
Each Of the three sounds Of which the
word is composed 10 heard, and in like
proportion. There is no dwelling upon
any one of them: the vowel Is not
drawled, nor is the hlssed. To one
accustomed To- the distorted forms in
which this word comes from many
American lips, the simple, direct, clear
yes OF the Englishman assumes \ posi-
tive beauty.
The American variations ofthis word
have increased ia number Of late years.
Our fathers and mothers-some ofthem
-drawled the word; they said ye-a-us;
but still they uttered the whole word,
and they meant 10 do so: their enuncia-
ton Of Il was merely the consequence
OF general habit Of drawing speech,
During the last fifteen or twenty years,
however, this common monosyllabIe has
been subjected 10 no little torture. Du-
ring the war it was very commonly ut
tered, even by many Of those 20 whom
we had right to look to for good Eng-
lish speech, not only without its final
sound, but with an upward infection OF
its vowel sound which made II hike that
yawp into which the word milk has
passed in the mouths OF those upon
whose matutinal visits we wait for what
has strangely become the sine qua non
OF breakfast. Yeh would not express
this sound, because OF the lack Of any
indication OF this infection, which I'm
ished il as a very short and sharply
curled tail sometimes finishes ; small
dog.
Il was. however, almost q .nnetlc
impossibilily that such this
should hold It's own very long; nov,
and for year or two past, yeh has be-
come yep. Whoever will observe The
speech Of very young people, even 10
the "best society" will end that very
lew Of them. comparatively ever say
yes, but under all circumstances yep.
The word Is sounded not quite like yeIp
with the omitted: tor the p i verv
lightly sriiculated, and the vowel sound
Is very short and crisp. Whether tins
peEsersion of the simple and easily,
very easily. most easily uttered YES i
intentional, II would be hard 10 say.
Habits of speech, above all bad habits
Of speech, are so easily and quickly
caught-they being 10 lhis respect as
conlagioas - smallpox or scarlet fever
--that i IS very probable that TIE great
sr number Of those who say yep, IN
stead Of yes. do 50 unconscionsIg, and
that they would Be surprised Il shev
were told that they do nol snv YES.
But still there l. among % nany people
who should know better such : notion
that Il Is ''smaFi'' and funny 10 epeak in
q siangy way and with vulgar intona-
fions. that this rep is. douhsless. on the
part of many deIibeFale.
Bot even Ibis form of he worsI = kas-