Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-12-02

DAILY POST IHfELLlGBHOBR.
AnEsICAxlSMs DEgESDED.
MI. z. A. Freeman, the we'll known
historian, has supplemented his obser
ystions Of our political institutions By
some comments on American psculian'
tiss Of speech, Published In the hr''
number Of the nsw Long~as's Assas''s
That many Of the words ussd N TN
eoantry 70 which objection has bss0
taksn In England are net solscisma but
Genuine asohaisms-survivalA and nos
inyentions-is . fast, The peoefs Of
which have often bssp 81 forth tn thsss
columns. II u pleasant, however. 70
~ the same .ponoludon rsaehsd ~ a
English scholar, who spsaks with psr-
hsps a much authority on the history
Of Enalish words - any man now liv-
ing.
Mr.. Freeman begins with aassrtinR
the paradox that, IN the matter Of Ian
ruaQe, q we'll q In some Of thsif social
institutions. both Scotland and the nrst
settled parts Of The United States are
more tsnaciously and truly Enalish than
England itself. People talk Of Ameri-
csnisms and Scotticisms a. II such Pc
ouliaritiss Of speech were corruptions,
or, ct all events, changes introduced BY
Americans and Scotsmen into the ex-
ist,ng English tongue. But the current
opinion IL not shared BY msn like M.
Freeman, who know not only how pso-
pls talk today. but how they talked three
hundred years ago. They sss thas the
great mass Of the alterations from pres
snt English usage which are eschewed
OF ridiculsd - Amsrioanisms or Scott
cisms, consists Of perfectly good Eng
lish words, which happen TO have gone
ont Of uss in England. but which have
lived on In the United States and SCOT
land. Some striking illustrations are
adduoed BY Mr.. Freeman, ~, for in
stance, "baisn," which most persons
would consider . Scottish word, not
knowing that King Alfred used it when
hs talked about his children. Again, the
use Of "fslr' In the sense Of "autumn"
Il rsputsd an Amerioanism. but Mr..
Freeman points out that the word had
the Same meaning in England up 70 very
recent times. Indeed, he doubts whether
Il has gone ont Of use even now. for he
can distinctly remember. he tells "a.
hearing the phrase "sprine and fall" in
his own childhood. Mr.. FresmaA fur
thsr notes that our somewhat over
worked adverb Of assent, certainly"
which has lately been made the object
Of . good deal Of derision in London
nsvspapsrs, 10 . very natural form Of
granting request, though in England
II h reserved for oosssions Of some lit
tls Importance.
A Tor ''gusss," which u often de-
nounosd ~ . rank Yankseism, Mr..
Freeman, - might have bssn expected
from An Anglo saxon scholar, declares
II - perfectly good FORM" and hs pro-
nouncss II reckon" ~ good Enalish ~
EnRiish can b. He acknowledges that
BE- might begin 70 kick st Il calculate"
but b. u quite right in believing the
phrase 10 b seldom used In this coun-
tSy, for W do not remember 70 have
heard u twice In . lifetime. There In
reason 70 believe that the employment
Of II calculate" in the ssnse Of ~ guess"
10 confined 70 . narrow region oompris-
Ing tho northwestern angle Of New
Hampshire and the northeastern corner
OF Vermont. Even the word endorse"
In it, wide American use, seems % Nj
Freeman legitimate iicasion of a |
s'mnssc.1 Hs6D way Of metaphor
= non Commercial subjects. Asfo the
phrase "balanos of tho day" that, Of
course, y indsfsnsibls; but Mr.. Free
man h justified in assuming that sdu-
Gated persons In the United States do
not uss Il. The words "bloek" and ''lot,"
applied By 10 70 Subdivisions Of the
ground In . city or town. ssem 70 the
historian entirely proper. although they
Do not posssss the same msanings in
England. He observed that American
towns are built In blocks In Z way In !
which The elder English towns. At least, |
ars not. Az - our term "lot," That
points undoubtedly 70 The circumstances
undsr vhioh il early colonial times
land vas distributed among settlers BY |
allotment. 30 With the phrase real - |
lass' = applied 10 lands and houses;
Ne uas b perfectly intslliaibls 70 any
EnRlhhman Who has ever looked into |
Blackstone. We may say here that TIA |
faet uolicsd By NJ. Freeman that pur.lv |
legal phrases ~ more fr,ouentlv into
Dommon usage In the United Sta,es than
lu R,~s>-S ,..