Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-03

the question by an Englishman Gan exceedingly
positive and dogmatic person, as it CHANGED,
why do Englishmen never say, L guess'?" re-
piled (more wittily than JUSTIFY, Because they
are always so positive about everything" But
it is worthy, that whereas the American
says frequently II guess meaning II know"
the Englishman as freely lards his discourse
with the expression, You know" which is,
perhaps, more modest Yet on the other side.
it may be noted that the down East Amer
lean often uses the expression. 81 want to
know" in the same sense as our English ex-
preston of attentive interest, Indeed" Among
other familiar Americansms may be mentioned
the following:
An American who is interested in a narrative
or statement will say, SIS that sO:" or simply
''SO.' The expression, POSSIBLE" is some
times. but not often heard. Dickens misunder-
stood this exclamation as equivalent to lit is
possible, but does not concern me- whereas in
possible?" | have occasionally heard the ex
preston, 800 tell" but it is less frequently
heard now than of yore.
The word fright" is more frequently used
than in England. and is used also in senses diff
ferent from those understood in our English
usage of the word. Thus, the American will
say right here and fright there" where an
Englishman would say lust here" or '.iust
there or simply here" or ''there." Americans
say right away where we say directly" On
tIe OtNef mana. am 10cline0 TO think tnat the
English expression, fright WELL" for Every
WELL is not commonly used in America
Americans say ''leS. sir, and mo, sir" with
sense different from that with which the words
are used in England: but they mark the differ
ence of sense by a difference of information.
Thus if question is asked to which a reply in
England would be simply Yes or Mo- Cor
according to the rank or station of the querist,
Yes SIR" or NO. sir the American reply
would be Yes. sir" or mo, sir, intOnated as
nj l,l
to be emphatic. then the information is such as
to throw the emphasis on the word sir the
reply is Yes, sir" or NO SIR In passing, 1
may note that | have never heard an American
waiter reply 'Iessr," as our English walters
The American use of the word 'quit'' is pecu-
liar. They do not limit the word, as we do, to
the Specification take leave;" in fact. | have
never heard an American use the word in that
sense. They generally use it as an equivalent
notice as rather strange the circumstance that
the word quit" which properly means Ito go
away FROM" and the word stop which means
to stay" should both have come to be used as
signifying to ''leave OFF, Thus Americans say
'quit foOling" for ''leaye off playing the fool"
quit singing" quit laughing" and so forth
To English ears an American use of the word
some sounds strange-yz.. as an adverb. An
American will say, Il think some of buying
new house." or the like. for II have some idea
usage defended as perfectly correct, though
assuredly there is not an instance in all the
wide range of English literature which will
Justify it.
So also. many Americans defend as good
English the use of the word good in such
phases as the following: 81 have written that
note good for WELL" ''that will make you
feel good" for THAT will do you good" and in
other ways. all equally incorrect. Of course,
there are instances in which adjectives are
oil =
instance, right for rightly" etc., but there
can be no reason for substituting the adjective
good i'm place of the adverb well" which is
as short word and at least equally euphonious.
The use Of real for really real angry"
is. of course. grammaticaily indefensible. The
use of the word elegant for fine strikes
English ears as strange. For instance, if you
say to an American. This is fine morning."
he is likely to reply 1T is an elegant morning"
or perhaps Oftener by using simply the word
elegant" 1t is not pleasing use of the word.
There are some Americansms which seem
more than detensible-in fact. dramatically
more correct than our English usage. Thus
we seldom hear in America the redundant word
got in such expressions as IL have got etc
Where the word would not be redundant. it is
yet generally replaced by the more euphonious
word gotten" now scarcely ever heard in Eng
land. Yet again. we often hear in America such
expressions as Il shall get me- a new book" II
have gotten me new Dress" IL must buy me
Ii
Self is good old English at any rate.
have been struck by the circumstance that
neither the conventional. but generally very
absurd, American OF our English nOvelists, nor
the conventional but at least equally absurd.
Englishman of American nOveliSts is made to
employ the more delicate Americanisms or
Anglicisms We generally find the Americans
more cOarsely Yankee. like Reades Joshua
FullalOve." while the Englishman of American
novels, is almost always very cOarsely British,
rom fnH I1cin hot
Americans persist in regarding as the true
"Henglish haccent." Where an American is less
coarsely drawn, as Trollope's american Sem
atOr, he uses expressions which no American
ever uses, and none of those Americansms
which, while more delicate, are in reality more
characteristic, because they are common, all
Americans using them. And in like manner,
when an American writer introduces an English
man OF the more natural sort he never makes
him speak as an Englishman would speak;
before half a dozen sentences have been uttered,
he uses some expression which is purely Amer
lean. Thus. no Englishman ever uses and no
American may be recognized at once by using
such expressions as II know it" or ''Thats So"
Certainly" and so forth. There are great
number of these slight but characteristic pecu-
liarities of American and English English.
The COat-On-IHis-Arnl-YO Young Man.
FIR ON the Philadelphia Times
With the advent Of cold weather the coat-on-
his-arm young man turns out to parade the
street. The colder it grows the more closely he
carries his oyercoat over his sleeve, and with
tight-titting undercOat, having five buttons
down before, marches on seeking whom he may
vanquish by his unreasonable fancies. 1t must
be a cold day when he puts on his conspicuous
kids, shoyes his elbows out to the right angle
and arranges his coat over his arm. warm
loy cpif &c q dow hon bo
wears his coat. The time for it to be over his
arm is the time when other people put it on their
backs mild day does not attract attention
to his cgarette-cOnsumed frame, and therefore he
is languid on mild day.
But when the bleak wind blows and the ice is
rapidly forming and humanity in general hurry
along with their hands to their ears and their
noses smarting with the cold. then is the coat
on-his-arm young man in his element, and then
does he glance with supreme contempt upon
those gentlemen who are comfortably clad and
feel that winter weather is healthy. The coat
on-his-arm young man goes lesurey down the