New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-21
AuERICIY ACCENT on THE STAGE.
From, q Letter 20 The London Ys,1s.

From q Letter to The London Nc,1s.
In Your interesting article upon Shakespeare
nlaved by foreign actors you remark tnat Ameri-
can intonati0ns and modulatlons are, amongst the
educated the chief points OF difference from Eng,
lish people IN speaking their common tongue.
And YOU add How far these NAV AFFECT our est
mate of Mr.. Booths acting of Shakespeare remains
TO be SEEN" In his case, you say we may l9o i
for more particularly and elaborate care III his
pronunciation than we are generally accustomed
toD In Mr. Booths case you will certainly ind
particularly and elaborate care IN everything he
does and YOU will also ind some slight difference,
though not much. in intonatOn and pronunciation
from tina. to which we are accustomed on the Eng
lish stage. Whether MS performance OF sftlinlet
will meet the approval here which 10 has done IN
the United States and Canada remains to be seen
while it will probably be admitted that IN certain
narts if he plays them-lagO, for instance. as one
Of theuf-lt would be difficult indeed To excel MN.
But is it not open to question whether difference
OF intOnatiOn or modulaton ssouid De an eieInenb
in determining the merits OF an American actor s
nertOImance' The strong .Contlnentalsns OF
fletcher and Stella COlas. to whom you alude. I'M
donbtedly greatly marred their performance OF
Shakespeare though the genius of Fletcher enabled
him for a long time 10 contend with the dllhcultles
ne cond not overcome but IN the case OF an Anerl-
can actor il does not seem to he quite as open 10
tage exception to anv difference we NAV remark.
An American actor may say that the dlnerence IN
intOnatIOn between an Engshman ana an Amerl-
can is not greater than between two educated
nersons natives of different parts IN the British
Isles: that even If they were all alike their IN
tcnatiOn and meditation would diner from thHI
NJ their grandfathers; that as Shakespeare is n
classic common TO EngllSllmen ana Americans,
changes of information and mOdulatlon IN the IAN
uuare in which his plays were written are faults
and that the fashion that may al the momeht W W
current In England is not therefore me standard
by which all affiliated nations should be measured
There are 80 900. 900 people on the American con-
tincnt and several million in Austral ASIA besides the
greater part of 30.0o0,OOO at home, VINO al
speak the English language %lth dinereh nv tb
cultured of England, and II cannot quite DC saln
that this circumstance renders Imperative the
establishment of standard TOT the pIeheIN ~
of nnre English because both in speaking and
wiring that which is received as pure English Is
constantly changing ,., A.. -,,,,, %
called " Yankee words and expressions are nNeH-
tions of Americans and are Laughed at as amer,
con slang whereas in most cases they are OLD
Enrlish terms that have fallen into desuetude
here but have been preserved over there, AS an
evomple the expression, " 1t is too thin" appiieu
70 a statement not calculated to be successful IN
decaivIn0 anyone. is here regarded as horrible
niece Of q American slang" and yet ma IL used
IN the same sense by Shakespeare ana 10 tIe
month of no less person than the hlng OF EuS.
land Henry Will. Many other expressions might
he mentioned If necessary Mr.. Booth II ne mas
occasion to mention certain vessel VIII say q
q x,ose instead of vallse :; II ne mas 70. SPEAK
ot n person's anger he will say WIath,' lnsteau
of rorth as we hear it so often IN England; anu
IL he abbreviates the expression aecIarInne, III
ah;litv he will say can't" instead OF carnt.' An
Yaniuation of the whole subject might give color
20 The claim preferred by the cultured Ill America
That they use purer English than the majority OF
adncote2 persons in England. am very far from
oAering an opinion on such a SUBJECT; III desire
y. go 30 that IL should not only falrer and
.oora gap erolls TO q stranger but more logical 10
;ndge MIR Booths performances, or those OF any
hmer;can by their artistic and scholarly merits
w;tbont allowing any slight peculiarly OF
r"ntirnal;ty to bias our judgmcnt.-fours ODE
diently,
JireTp0Ol.