The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-03-17
The Use Of Slang.

I want to talk little to the girls
about slang-here, I imagine, you will
all sigh, and think it is to be the old,
old story, and l am going to tell you no
lady ever uses slang, ETC., etc.-but
am not, so you needn't be afraid to
keep on reading. There is an evil re-
sulting from the use of slang which il
quite as bad as, if not worse than, its mere
coarseness. I suppose there are many
of you who use slang expressions at
home, when you would never think of
using them if talking to strangers, and
you imagine that, as long as you are
speaking to people who know you well
it makes no difference, and you need
not be particular.
But the habit of expressing yourself
thus will narrow and warp your powers
of conversation more than you dream
of. By-and-by, when you attempt to
converse with persons with whom you
wish to appear at your best, you will
find yourself at standstill, where had
you been at home you would use slang,
but as it is, you hesitate and are at q
loss to find the right words, and per
haps fail altogether to express youridea.
You will find this trouble again and
again, whenever you enter q serious
conversation, and it will mortify you
exceedingly. Nothing cripples one in
the use Of language more than the
habit of not calling things by their
names. For instance, there are many
people who call everything a thing"
If they want you to give them q stick,
they will say. Please let me take that
thing" or what is worse "thinga-
my" or " thingumbob," or 's thingama-
gig" 80 sa -
After time they will be unable to
remember the real names, and if any
one should say, ..what thing?" In
stead OF answering the name, they will
be obliged to say, ''why. that thing on
the table," or wherever it is. I
have even known people, when driven
to extremity, compelled to describe
the thing" they meant; even when it
was a very common article of daily use,
whose name they knew perfectly well,
but were unable to remember.
This dwarfing to the vocabulary is
even worse in its effect upon writing
than in speaking. When writing we
absolutely cannot say .'that thing" be-
cause no one knows what is meant un-
less there is also description of it.
1t would scarcely do in congratulate
ing lady on the success of her party
to say that '.it took the rag off the
bush," even if we put it in the more
polished (?) way and said. "It removed
the dilapidated garmentfrom the shrub
berry," -..-..
Slang looks great deal worse
written than it sounds said. In
any writing at all serious the in
PRODUCTION of one slang word ruins
the effect, though sometimes it seems
in our thought to express our idea bet
ter than anything we can think of.
Suppose, instead of saying above, "yOu
will find yourself at a standstill," had
said, "you will find yourself up a
stump" (and I confess 1 have used
that inelegant expression SO much that
was strongly tempted to use it there),
what effect do you think all my preach
ing could possible have? afa
You see, am not altogether unac-
quainted with slang, and may as we'll
own that write from bitter experience.
Please, girls. before you get to my
| deplorable condition, call things by
their right names; don't cripple your
| selves with slang, and be as little SLOW
emily in your talk Is possible. -" Polly, -
in Cleveland Herald.