Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-18
Y E s.!

Il i
lear j must ask you to SPEAK French. as
learned my English In Lond)n." "IaIsaT'
was the reply, "then I'm sorry to say tias !
rear the conversation must SOD: for I l--Araei
my French In Paris" The inso,ent dlpo mn
got Just what he deserved, and he will pEJ3 ,biy
not oe saucy to a Yankee girl again for some
!me 10 come. The story NAV not be true; but
Its incidents are very possible on both Sides
and Sc non zero e ben trorlto
Although this sharp ret0rt was fully juStifoi
by the III manners OF the person who suffered
from 1t, there Is, nevertheless, 10 the speech OF
too many Americans some occasion, although
no sufficient justification, for the charge I'M
sounds strangely IN ears t1at learned their
knowledge of English speech in London. OF
course, the pretenSe that there Is a1y essential
difference, or even any accidental difference OF
consequence, between the saea3h OF people OF
fair intelligence and education in the two
countries is absurd. There is not the sem
nIance OF ground for it. There are differences
tiOD, but this concerns the mere manner OF
speaking. and like differences equal, at least In
degree, may be easily discovered between the
speech Of English people born and bred IN sew
eral parts OF the island; as indeed. there may
between The speech OF the natives of the north,
the south. the east, and the west or any
country. But there remains the fact that IN
tie enunciaJton Of certain words there are Fo-
cal habits common among Americans, VIII III
although they may be Impractical 0y the BEST
spt akers here, and may even be offensive TO
Item, are yet peculiarly American in certain
Sen.e--tlat Of being heard In America, and
never beard in England Nor are some OF
these habits OF speech confined to the ignoranI
and tie ili-b: ed. They may be observed In per
snps VINO are well educated, and who have all
their lives been accustomed TO the most cuiti-
waited society.
Ofthese o. GUITAR habits or tricks Of speech,
not one is more remarkable than the manner
In which the mOnosylable OF assent rs uttered
by very great number OF the weli-edueated
end we'll bred people In this country. In Elg-
land II we leave out OF consideration the rustic
and the mining folks of the rudest and retnot-
markaole uniformity OF pronunciation and H.
tonation. 1t comes from the lips short clear.
and crisp, GEES Each Of the three sounds OF
which the word is composed is heard. and in
like proportion. There is no dwelling upon
any one OF them; the vowel IL not dravled,
ror is the hiased To one accustomed Co the
distorted forms IN which tlis word comes from
many American lips the simple, direct, clear
pes OF tie Engishman assumes positive
beauty.
Tue American variations of this word nave
increased in number Of late years. Oar ia
theirs and motheES-some of them-drawled the
word; they said yea us; but still they uttered
the whole word, and they meant to do so; their
annuDciation Of twas merely the consequence
Of general habit of drawing speech. During
the last Is or 90 years. however, this common
monosyllable has been subjected to no little
torture During the war it was very con-
monty uttered. even by many of those to whom
We had right to look for good English speech,
not only without its final sound, but with an
made it Ike that yawp into which tie Word word
milk has passed in the mouths OF those upon
whose matutlnal visits we wait for what has
strangely become the one sine qua non Of break
fast. Yeh would not express this sound, be-
cause OF the lack Of any indication Of this Ia
Fiction, which finished it as a very short and
sharply-curled tail sometimes finishes small
deg.
II was, however, almost phonetic impossi-
bility that such word as this should Did its
own very long; and now, and for year or two
past, yeh has become yep. Whoever will OBJ
serve the speech OF very young people, even in
the "best society," will find that very few OK
them, comparatively, ever say yes, but under
not quite like yelp With the omitted; for the
p is very lightly articulated, and The vowel
sound is very short and crisp. Whether this
perverston Of the simple aid easily, very easily.
be hard to say. Habits OF speech, above all,
bad habits OF speech, are so easily and quickly
caught-they being In this respect as conta-
gious as smallpox or scarlet rever-that IL is
very probable that the greater number OF those
who say yep instead OF yes do so unconctouSy,
and that they would be surprised II they were
Is among SO many people who should Know bet
ter such notion that 1t is ''smart" and funny
to speak in slangy way and with vulgar into
nations, that this yep is, doubtless On the part
ormany deliberate.
But even this form of the word Is better tnan
some OF the drawlink distortions from watch
1t suffers: Not long ago, | heard a young
nan, In reply to question put to hin across a
room, utter what he meant for pes but what,
IN fact he did say was mnyeah. nave feeoiy
and 1hadequately Indicated q sound wDish was
something betW een the beating of goat and
the retchiDg heard by the voyager from the
LeXt state-room, the occupant OF which Is not
good sailor. On subsequent observation 1
found, to my surprise, that this gentleman Wa
not at all singular In his ut5eralce OF tle
sound which he substituted for yes He merely
afforded very marked eAemplar of not un
common habit; and found that the b,eated
mnyeah was to be heard at least, quite as often
aS the short, crisp mOnosylabie which 1t dis
placed. Akin to nnyeah, or rather another
ora OF IT, Is IN y9h ana OF ths there IS olea
Which is merely the old ye of Is years ago With
nasal, b!eating Introduction.
Besides these perversions Of the sound OF
yes, there is the ydass or yahss of the remote
rural districts, which is heard also in England
in like places, although in some parts OF the
mother country yes becomes ees 10 rustic utter
ance. 1t Is somewhat strange, considering the
derivation OF ges. Ggess, pronounced glysay,l and
It's close affinity with geo, that 1t is not pro-
nounced ydyss somewhere; but do not know
Of such pronunciation. 1t even degenera, es
into &c With some of the rudeSt rustic Spe iIerS
In England, but the aye Of such speakers seems
to be relic Of yea It is sounded like the first
letter OF the alphabet, and not like the age OF
cultivated speakers which is ah-ee, the sound of
the vowel l. To return to America, the yah
that we frequently hear for yes might be not
unreasoDably supposed to have been caught
from the Germans, who have descended upon
US in such numbers during the Lass 80 years;
but am rather inclined TO the belief that, as
tDe ye was merely yes Win tte last S0unQ drop
ped, this yah is merely the rustic yddss yaIiss
clipped in like manner. Even In our cities we
have remarkably escaped contamination OF
German speech.
Besides all these miserable substitutes for
yes, there is the prolonged, mean. nasal, wavy
yee-d-ah-us which Is heard most frequently, II
not exclusively, from female lips, aud which Is
one OF the most contemplate and Irritating
sounds Of which human vocal organs are capa-
bic. II one did not hear it, it would seem I'm
possible that the brief. clear yes which, when
properly spoken, snaps like broken icicle,
could De SO twisted and attenuaGed and snarled.
There is comfort, however, In this, that the To-
men who thus whine out this word are always
In every respect the least lovely OF their sex
have been amused at observing the many
uses to which a certain sort Of speakers put this
mere monOsy liable Of affirmation. 1t Is made
TO express all varieties of mental condition in
relation TO any assertion. have heard con-
versat1ons much like the following, In which
the yes generally took the form of ye.'
Good morn'n! Beaut'f1 day."
Eyes" simple assent
"But think I'll rain fore tn days out"
Ies?' prolonged upward infection OF In
quiry.l
"S'mra1n IL be good r uh' country"
eyes," prolonged circumfection, up, down,
and up, expressive of guarded ASSENT
"Wheats go1n' up"
eyes" pitched high, with strong down.
ward Infection, expressive Of gratificatIon, the
speaker having bought for rise.]
"Th'n be short crop'n Europe"
"YeS?" Very short, with quick, upward In