The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-07-02
Philosophy Of Slang.

There perhaps is nothing marking the
English spoken in this country which
gives rise to SO much concern as the as
serted prevalence of slang; certainly
there Is nothing more common than the
depreciation of its use. 1t IL often spoken
of as the chief danger which threatens
the English tongue, at least as employed
by us. Most Of lis have probably heard
or read assertions to that effect, many of
us have possibly made such assertions
ourselves; yet no evidence has ever been
brought forward to show that more slang
is produced or used in this country than
in England. That what is produced
here is far more racy, varied, and vigor-
Gus is plain enough from the appreciation
it meets there. But even if it be con-
ceded that our soil is more favorable to
its growth, that need not be looked upon
as u great calamity. Slang performs an
important and, indeed, necessary part
iii the development of speech. Express
sion has always n tendency to become
weak in the literary language, just as,
unfortunately, the individual III the pro-
cess of becoming civilized is too apt to
gain gentleness mt the expense OF vigor.
Less power is felt i'll some way to exist
in the words, and so close is the relation
between the thought and the garment
with which it is clothed that the former
seems often TO share in the fiimsiness of
the latter. 1t is this gradual process of
weakening which slang comes in to
counteract. The word is new, but the
thing is old. Slang is the great feeder
of vigorous expression; for in its very
,ot, 10 off 10 ctota
cisely and more strongly what the estab-
lished speech is felt to say too ditf'usively
and too feebly. OF course. it is not an
unmixed benefit. Much of it is silly;
much of it is vulgar; most of it is worth
less; but from the countless words and
phrases which spring up i'll communities
where men think and act earnestly the
literary language, with almost infallible
instinct, will gain something to recruit
its own exhausted energies and to impart
to its expression additional fitness and
force. If this view be correct, those who
are indulging in slang, both in season
and out OF season, should not be looked
upon altogether as the nuisances which
they are usually regarded as being.
They are simply performing a proper
and indispensable office i'll keeping before
the minds of others the numerous words
and phrases from which few are to be
selected for perpetuation and use; and
the disgust with which they sometimes
inspire us is due to orlr imperfect concep-
ton of their true character and OF the
true nature of the work they perform.
Unconscious, and at times apparently
imbecile instruments in the development
of speech, they are the victims of law
whose sweep they are powerless to resist
the martyrs of cause they have not the
capacity to comprehend; but were we to
be deprived of the expressions, originally
slang, which have been brought in by
their painstaking and self-sacriicing eff
forts, we should lose many of the most
forcible and necessary, and what seem to
Us now to be the purest words and phrases
of the English tongue. Addison deplored
and Swift denounced the use of m0b,
originally a mere colloquial fragment of
mObite 0uigus. At this day, were we to
give up the word, we should hardly know
how to designate the thing. = Prof.
Louasbmy, Of Yale, IN International
RCUiClU.