The Portland daily press., 1882-07-01
American English.
From Paper by G. M. Tucker of The Country Gen
tleman.

From q Paper by G. NJ. Tucker Of The Country Gen
tleman.
We have no dialects in this country, either
of locality or caste. In regard to enunciation,
the average American will make himself heard
and understood, wherever there is difficulty in
hearing, far better than the average Briton-
not by virtue of vociferation, but on account
of his clearer aud more accurate speech, espec-
tally in following more closely the spelling.
This is illustrated by such words as trait, silver
and schedule, which are pronounced in this
coua try according to regular analogy, but have
in Great Britain special and exceptional pro-
nuncistions 1t is illustrated still more clearly
by dozens of geographical names.
American spelling differs from British in one
respect only-its greater simplicity. Illustra-
tions: Wagon, parlour, storey, lot house),
pease (plural of peal, plough, drsught, shew,
cyder, gaol and many other words that have
been simplifed in this country
American speech changes less than British.
(a) We have preserved hundreds of words that
have gone out of use in Great Britain, and we
avoid the use of many novelties invented in
that country, such as ''totalling," or "totting,"
"hipped," "navvy," "fad. ""randomly," "out-
ing,h and 'stund." (b) We avoid many recent
changes in meaning that are accepted by the
passage" famous for excellent, "bar-
gain, -scr .sha0ria,, !, "rot', fo. nonsense"
Fiugn for 'pitcher," ''good FORM for sin good
taste,'' ''trap' for "carriage," tub for
'sbathe," starved" for "frozen," "stop' for
'.stay," "assist' for 'be present" 'intimate"
for ''aDnounce," etc. (c) We refuse to follow
the British in their arbitrary restriction of the
meaning of certain words. Thus "a young per-
SON. is always girl in England. The Briton
"rides'' in an omnibus, but always "drives" in
a carriage, and though he will say that he is
confined to sick room or stretched upon
sick bed he is Mortified at the idea OF being
called sick" unless suffering from nausea. (d)
We do not turn active and reflective verbs in
to intransitives. (e) We do not abbreviate
words so much. % We are not so apt to get in
superfuous words-"What eUer are you do
enormous" 81 don't say but Whdt this work
has got to be done"
American writers of the first class seem to
be, on the whole, rather more careful about
grammar than are British. OF course, how
ever, nobody denies that the language has
suffered some bad treatment here as well as
abroad No less than four elaborate listshave
appeared of words supposed TO have been either
invented or wrenched from their proper mean
ings, in this country. Among (supposed to be(
genuine AmericanismS either entirely omitted
or not satisfactorily treated by Bartlett, the
following are mentioned:
Blizzard with some account OF the history
of this remarkable word); boom with its prob
able etymology); to buck against; canaille
(kind of fiour) dodger (handbilD escalan;
fair IAN exhibition); furore; gripsack; high
wines; institute IA oonvention); liable, for
likely; "You must not'' for "You may mott
ninepence; pit (stone of fruit; smirch;. solid
colored spilth (street mud); super (of theatre
BARTLETT says it stands for superintendent)
tenderfoot Ia new arrival from civilization in
the wild raoiOnS nj the far WGSt.l