Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-09-20

We hear good deal OF the barbarism
OF newspaper English, and to some ex-
tent the charge is sustained by the facts
In the case. Undoubtedly the news
papers give currency to the slang of the
day. They are also responsible for the
gross misuse of many words. "Allege,"
meaning in its chronological sense, "to |
"atfrm with the exactness of a Dispatch"
has come to be- a journalistic necessity
in the sense OF asserting with |
8 shade of doubt. 1t will aid |
one to correct appreciation of
this verb to attend to the ordinary mean
ing of the noun allegation" An allie
CATION may be untrue, but 1t ia certainly
not an expression Of doubt. 1t was per-
haps some Washington correspondent
with singular obtusity as to Iangua age,
that first used the word executive" in
the sense of secret, this foolish meddler
with intellectual edged tools evidently
jamping to the conclusion that because
poObobAfo pOoslOAo Vi t4G DcudIS hIe SECRET
sessions, the adjective must have that
peculiar meaning. Newspapers are doubt.
less partly responsible also tor the disap-
pearance of the English subjunctiye
with its fine adaptation for expressing
certain turns of thought. It should he
reinstated as valuable feature Of the
language, and an interesting relic of
Saxon infections. The fact that the
auxiliaries twill" shall, " would"
and should" are shametully misused
by newspapers, as they are by two
thirds Of even tolerably we'll educated
speakers, we fear marks their more
delicate distinctions as doomed to 20 the
way of the subiunctive mood. Richard
Grant Whites snobbishness has not pre-
vented his rendering us all an importan
service in clearly defining the functions
of these auxiliaries. 4.."# -
But some of the severest critics o
newspaper English are themselves grea
sinners against their native tongue
Governor Butler recently inveighed o.
this subject, and got for his pains rougl
handling from the usually well writtel
Boston papers. Indeed the sin lies by n
means entirely at the door OF the newa
papers. British papers, we are told, ar
better written than ours, and if 80, 1t
largely because they are addressed to
better educated constituency. Educatio,
is more widely dlffused, though less thor
ough, in the United States than in tn
British Isles, and consequently, while W
have more people to read newspapers, W
have perhaps fewer to demand critica
accuracy in language than have tn
British journals. Newspapers are no
greatly above the average Of their reader
in tone and taste, though we think the
are always fully up to it, and conse
quently there is less care in their use
language than there would b
were newspapers addressed to a
educated few. And when we ga
shAo tON ~ h4dh ldDCy Lut
we have in mind only the unlettere
among newspaper readers. The art
English composition is very rarely prat
ticed with any degree Of skill, and nin'
tenths of the communications sent
editors, including those by business an
professional men, not excepting olerg!
men, would have been better written,
regards the ordinary rules OF English con
position, by the youngest reporter on Il
staff.
Under such circumstances 1t is not su
prising that newspaper English ia open
criticism, and we think that all tn
proves that newspapers are far from bsir
the only corrupters Of language. I'll