Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-05-23
The English Language.

the finest philOlOSlsts OF THIS country.
This gentleman has been lecturing
to appreciative audiences in New
York On "The English Language"
According to the views of Mr.. Albee,
our language was crude dialect
previous to the translation of King
James edition of the Bible, and the
writings of the Elizabethan drama
lists; these two things having jointly
tended to mould the Old English
tongue into the new and beautiful
form in which it now appears. The
lecturer regarded it as fortunate
circum stance that the first principal
translation of the Bible occurred at
time when the very best style of
our language was in vogue, the style
of the English dramatists. The in
SEPARATION of the translators, too,
had found the sweetest voices, the
greatest beauty and fullest vigor in
some of the most simple Anglo-Sax-
on expressions.
All these elements are embalmed
forever in the humble vernacular of
the uneducated masses ofthe common
people, and can no mole be eradica-
ted than the manners and customs
of thousand years growth. To
change them, would be, in fact, to
create new language, entirely for
eign in all of its idiomatic relations
and structure. The speaker con-
trasted some of the common express
sions in use three hundred years
ago. with their affected and cumber-
some equivalents of to-day. We do
not ask, now but inquire; a woman
is female, and a fatheris paternal
relative; We do not give, but donate,
we never go, begin, eat and get, but
proceed, commence, partake and
receive. When young, we had
rooms upstairs, but now we have
apartments on the second floor.
There used to be sweet singers in
those good old days, but they are all
artistic vocalists now, and the same
kind of people who used to get
drunk then, simply get intoxicated
now. Major Andre was hanged;
while now, all such unfortunate
men are executed. The world used
to be full of boys and girls several
centuries ago, now they are all young
ladies' and gentlemen. In the BIZ
Bile, the most thrilling of all books,
ninety-six per cent. of the words are
Anglo-Saxon, in Shakespeare the per-
centage of Anglo-Saxon words is
eighty-six.
Among later writers similar rule
holds good, as for example, Tenny-
sons arthur" contains 3 500 words,
and 5000 of them are monosylla-
bles. It has become a rule among
the leading critics that, the rank
of all writer's of unquestioned fame
is graded by the proper use of more
or less of the Saxon language. "
Thus, it will he seen that it pays for a
speaker or writer to see we'll to it that
hisspeech or AVIS largely composed
of the short, rugged, pithy words, de-
rived from those in common use
among the early Teutonic settlers of
Great Britain. 1t is not our aim, at
this time, to locate the charm of such
words or tell of what it consists. 1t
is enough to knew that wherever the
English language is spoken, its power
depends, essentially, upon the fire.
quent recurrence Of monosyllabics,
and those especially derived from
the tongues of northern and central
Europe. A little practice will en-
able writer to determine almosti in.
stantly the derivation of his words.
If he is at any time in doubt on this
point, good dictionary should be
able to settle the question in all or
binary cases. Although not indis-
pensable, Latin and Greek Diction-
airy, and book of synonyms are OF
great service in hitting upon the best
word in the language. "The right
word in the right place." should be
the motto of all writer's, young OF
old. Let anyone write sentence in
words as largely composed as posi-
bic of Anglo-Saxon roots, and then
let the same ideas be couched in de-
rivo tiops from Tho latin op1 Grooly