The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-03-14
manitomof pilot.
THURSDAY, MARCH IA, 1889.
How to Speak English.

/ was once staying at country
house with a young American gentle
man, says writer in the New York
Tribune. A capital nice fellow he was
in every way, and rather a favorite
with the young ladies; for, besides be-
ing decidedly good-looking, he was re-
puted to be very rich. Among other ac-
cmplishments, he had fair voice and
sang not badly to his own accompani-
ment on the pianoforte. There was
one song that he, however, did not
sing well. 1t suited neither his voice
nor his style. Yet he was obliged to
sing it regularly every night after din
ner (and sometimes before) at the
earnest solicitation of the young ladies,
who made it point of sitting together
out of his sight during its performance.
The poor fellow was highly delighted
and immense flattered at what seemed
to him genuine compliment. He did
not know that he was asked to sing so
that he might amuse the assembled
company to the verge of audible guf-
flaws by his Western burr in the pro-
nunciation of ''Oh, We tears!''
Nothing is more ruinous to success
than ridicule, and quizzing soon be-
comes that if keprup. The social sue
cess this young American gentleman
would have been was undoubtedly
spoiled by this nightly incident, which
would never have occurred had he had
his clothes made in Broadway and
learned to say "Oh, We t'yahsr in
stead. dare say that h-dropping and
sing-songing Englishmen are frequent
ly drawn for some expression or pro-
nunciation which to American ears
may sound ludicrous. But / hardly
think more cruel instance can be
given than the one | have just related.
1t is not only in articulation of vowels
as well. The prolongatiOn of an i, or
u, a, or in certain words is the
scratch which discloses the American
Tartar through the anglomanla Cos
sack. Thus, lion must be called lain;
briar, brah; fire, fab; sire, sab, and
liar, lab; not lyon, bry-ur, fy-ur, sy-ur,
or ly-ur. So also should sure be
shah; cure, k'yah; jury, jory; fury,
feory; and pure, peor; not shoor,
kyoor, Jewry. fewry, or p'yoor.
The proper use of the vowel is the
most difficult of all. Thus, while can't
is pronounced cahnt, the word can't is
given the very --LATEST tone, and while
ask is called ahsk, ass and dash, and
splash, and dozens of similar words
are all made as flat as you please. AS
for the words, story is called stawry;
glory, glawry; shore, shaw; bore, baw;
door. daw; poor, poah; and fore, faw.
OF course, it will not do to take each
of these words by itself and pronounce
it as | have given the pronunciation in
England. 1t would thus sound far
fetched and absurd to the ears of those
who have never heard English people
of the upper class talk. Even to those
who have it would be likely to appear
exaggerated. But use the word in
spoken sentence with other words and
the similarity in tone to the word as
spoken by such Englishmen will easily
be observed by those Americans. who
have had the advantage of hearing the
English language in English good So
ciety. Thus: Put some Goals on the
FAM lit is most amusing stawry;"
BE good enough to shut the daw;"
''He is great baw." etc.