Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-10-29
DAILY -INTELLIGENcER
SLANG n ANERIaA.


ARseysean R,pis,e Walls Whitman pre-
sens bis views apon Slang 10 Amer
ic.-7 His definition Of slang Il ~ fol-
lows
slang. profoundly considered. IL tbs
IavIe@s Rsrruiuai element. DeinE al
words and sentences, and esnInG All
poetry, and groves 4 certain Freedom
and perennial ranknssa and protestant
ism 10 speech
This definition Ia sogneEhss obsonre.
The ordinary reader cannot by reading
it form clear conception Of what Mr..
whitman regards ~ slasR. Generally
however. the definition agrees vi'h TIE
definition Of slang popaiAriy under
stood. Yoa can classify under Il ihose
words xhleh are commonly Designated
a. slang, bat ~ other vords can be 80
classified corrsgtly. Mr.. whitman =
idea of slang. then, Is ESSENTIALLY the
same ~ the popular isea. 10 the eoorss
Of bis article oocar. the follosing state
nsnt
"Ths Western States Of the Union
are. however, a. may be supposed the
special areas Of slang. not only IN con
yersation, bat IN names Of localities,
towns, riysrs, etc
This statement no one would care 10
dispute. II is essentially true. Mr..
whitman, however, supports 1t by
citing number Of names of places in
Washington Territory. among them
wahkiakum, CowlItz, snshomish. Kit
sap. Kliekitai, H0quism, Seattle and
Steilaooon. These names are all
derived from Indian words each one
has its local color and its local signih
Dance, and none Of them can be elassi-
fed a. slang, unless, indeed, each pss
son be permitted 10 regard az slang
every word Of which the sound IL dis
pleasing 10 his ear. Mr.. whitman
would scarcely be willing 10 gran! such
Q privilege Unfortunately. II IL we're
granted, each person would have bis Own
list OF slang words, which. ~ believer
In pare English, be would feel com
PEELED 10 shan; and the list Of each per
son would differ from thar Of every
other person. Each individual has his
own idea of eupbony, and the word
which sounds harsh and barbarous 10
one, 10 another may be all softness and
beasty. by the definition which Mr..
whitman himself gives, mono OF the
Washington Territory names cited can
be regarded az slang.
Even upon the score OF euphony the
names Of the West do not suffer by
comparison With those Of the East.
The names Of counties, for instance,
which Mr.. Whitman regards as slang,
are certainly preferable to similar
names In many Of the Eastern States
which no one would ever dream OF con
sidering slang. Il would be- interesting
to know on what grounds Mr.. Whitman
pronounces wahkiakum. Snohomish
Kitsap. Klickitat and Cowlitz less de
sirable than the AutauRa, Coneeuh
Etowsh and Talladega. OF Alabama
the Chattooaa, Musoogee, Oconee anC
Catooss. OF Georgia; the Kankake,
and SaneamOn, OF Illinois the Powe
sheik and Munesbiek, OF Iowa; th'
AudroseogRin. Aroosteok, Piscataqui
aud sigadahoo, OF Maine the wico
mico, Of Maryland the Barsga, Che
boyean, I0sco. Kalamazoo, kalkashs
NsvayQo and Sheawassee. OF Michigan
the kandiyohi. Of Minnesota the Goa
homa, Issaquena, Itawamba, Noxubes
Oxtibbeha. Tishomingo, Yalobnsha AM
Yazoo, OF Mississippi; the Cattarau
gus. Chemnng. OnondaRs, Sohsneotad
and Scoharie, OF New York; the Ash
tabala, Coshocton. Cuyaboga, Muskin
gun an,; Tuscarswas, Of Ohio; or tn
Accomac. Appomattox and Culpeper, o
Virginia. We do not believe that eve
Mr.. Whitman wonls consider the name
Of counties east Of the MississipT
slang words simply because their souR
may be displeasing to him.
For names of cities, Seattle aud Steil
accom- are felly a. eupsonious as Chi
sago, Passaic and Chillicothe, and ar
In every way preferable 10 such words a
Kokomo. Oshk osh and Kalamazoo. non
Of which Mr.. Whitman probably elassi
6es al slaIp.
Our Indian names, when properl
pronounced, are soft and euphonious
and II he in every WAY preferable tina
they be retained. The substitution
OF the n,mes Of individuals With will,
or burg added is surely not 10 be desir
Cd. aad the repetition in the Western
States Of names TO be found in the East
such ~ Portland and Salem. leads {,
endless confusion. by all means. let ui
cling 60 the Indian names. even u the,
are looked down upon - slang by suct
writers a. Walt Whitman.