The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-03-25
Our Abuse of Language.
Edikor Democrat. /.

Editor Democrat!
American people arc peculiarly sensitive
in the matter of.their use Of words. The peo-
pie Of Oregon, though long distance from
the center Of English civilization, arc Ameri.
can, u,--bcnco are sensitive on this subject !;
so we write with caution.
Perhaps more than the people Of any other
state Oregonians display greater originality
in their idcas Of how language should be
murdered. doubt if any style could be
called idiomatic TO Oregon. Made mp, as
she is, of people from ever state IN the United
States, Europe aud Missouri, her language
is conglsmcration Of diversified peculiari-
ties. Neither Clarke nor Brown are thought
Of, aud Kearl il ns much n stranger as the
Cheops Of Egypt. This is particularly the
case among the uneducatcd. Because Of il
VIC respect them none the less, and VIC GER
tainly would not hesitate 10 receive our hun
drcd per cent profit on the sale Of bill Of
goods by reason Of the odd manner in which
they arc demanded but in people who have
received the advantages Of nothing more
than n common school education, ii il mex.
cuaablc. Webster is authority in Oregon as
well ns ia Florida, in Missouri rs well as in
Now York, and the same rules of rhetoric
| obtain in all Of these states. so theie il no
use Of tho reign Of Chaos, ht icast among
educated people, anywhere within the limits
Of the rule Of the English language.
WHAT'S the object Of 81 education Is IL
TO enable one to do few examples N alge-
bra, which will rarely be Of use 70 one, and
whose principal service is the slight training
IL gives TO the mind or, am ! right in think
ing greater object Is the efficiency which
IL should produce IN the use Of language.
Beautiful thoughts may be expressed in
broken words. yet how much II their value
enhanced when they hro clothed in correct
expression Then ono of the purposes Of an
education is u be able 10 speak correctly.
As long as there is a correct and an incor-
rect way isn't it better to iollow ;ho former
than the latter : IL not only -, bE. cultiya.
ton would make il easier. have mo- doubt
that vs. ~ understand THE. but we certainly
do uo. practice IT.
have IN mind particularly one young lady
Who habitually Gays "Icr dobc IT. and 81
seen H.. She il graduate 81 Albany Col.
lcce Anl 20. of cuursc. knows better yet,
through association, land association 10
great extent governs this mn.le "f speakingl
shc has allowed haLi: tn faat,n Is disagree
able iAusa on her. This IL r"t 20 Lc won-
lcrcd at very auch, iUr nearly eight out of
ton. az practice cay done where did Is
proper. III IT we're mc" srrus to bc the
rule. while "If il were apl,as. 10 be the
exception. person. with aHy observation.
who has only read the Bible. ought not TO be
careless on this point Remember the pas.
sage, 1T is !, bo not afraid. 4 common
error almost universal here. is the express
sion Il didn't get TO go. Where II origin
ated cannot say. but II reckon" it came
wcst long .years ago,-from Missouri per
hapa. and grew up with the country.
doubt IL any word is abused more than
''Iike II i a good word. in its place, and
/ deserves better treatment than It receives
/ Nearly everybody tosses il about IN most
I fantaste manner. whilc they ncglcet entirely
the little words "as Il. % For instance. this
I expression il heard a. much a. any Il feel
/ Eke we're. etc
These are but few 81 the ungfammatical
cxpressi"ns common among ua. They arr
not exceptions If they were no complaint
could bc made for they arc Observable some
evcryw here bat they are tho rale here, and
there il no necessity for IT, Nothing charae-
tcrizcs people more than the language IL
uses 4 mans tongue il As great indica-
tor OF his character as his nose, and while 4
correct one does not always point to a moral
nature, il does, as a rule, to a refined one.
While t,he number Of ungrammatieal ex-
). pressons is great, it j. small beside the
number OF mispronouneod words not words
occasionally spoken incorrectly, but those
which are mispronouneed generally. II is
unnecessary To name. Suffice It TO say that
it IL even common TO hear ina pronounced
with broad a. This j. not from any for
cign accent, nor in most cases. through ig-
uorancc, but from a carclessness which has
become chronic.
But little study will reveal 10 Us how far
We are in the habit of straying from the cor
rect path We do not do it willfully, but
carelcssly. Most Of Us, il we stop 70 exam
inc ourselves, viii find pride which ought
to induce us TO reform our language. Have
we the ambition to follow its dictate 1t is
true that every man has u right TO use such
language as he pleascs, but it Is TO he hoped
that there are few who murder Kings En-
glish for the sake Of doing 50.
Q. Q.
s