The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1890-12-27
SLANG.
From the Modern Engraver..

agreeable to the ear than clean, pure and
comprehensive language, and the more
simple it may be the more pleasing it be-
comes. While these facts are universally
conceded, it is somewhat remarkable that
very few are masters of the art of correct
speaking, and not many make any attempt
to become So
Our children spend long years in the
public schools, wrestling with Language"
among other branches of instruction. They
are there taught to analyze sentences,
shown how one word is dependent upon
the other, initiated into the mysteries of
noun and verb and article, and graduate,
according to the wording of their certif-
Gates, as proficient in photography; yet
scarcely has the school-room door closed
upon them after school-hours at any time
during all that long course of study, before
they were conversing in language not
found in their books, and which seems to
be far more easy of acquisition than that
taught within the school-house walls. They
may, and many do, speedily forget their
teachers grammar lessons, but the language
Of the street-slang-sta by them for
ever.
Webster tells .us slang is slow, vulgar,
unauthorized language" This is one def
milton; there:is''yet another. 3 Most slangis
! the use of any word or sentence to which
a new or improper meaning has been given
For instance, young lady is walking with
her escort, both well attired and bearing
evidences of refinement Another female
passes whose apparel attracts the Young
ladys attention, and, clutching her COM
panion's arm, she says, in subdued tones,
''get on to that woman's dress. Were he
to follow her injunction literally he would
speedily find himself in trouble, and the
young lady herself would be foremost in
his condemnation.
Again, an election having been held, and
party feeling, as usual, having run high, the
journalistic organ of the successful ticket
publishes glowing account of the victory,
and the article is headed III the Soup
Everyone knows just what is meant by
those three words, but no book on language,
no dictionary, or any authoritysave ''slang,"
will warrant their use in any such sense.
These are illustrations of but two of the
many slang words and phrases in common
use, and the tendency is constantly to in
crease the number. To such an extent has
slang become the rule, that good authori-
ties tell us it is almost impossible to hear
spoken sentence that does not contain slang,
and it has been asserted that some of our
tramps and street arabs can maintain
protracted conversation by the use wholly
of slang
The great Dickens somewhat caustically
criticised the American people upon the use
of slang, but it is not by any means pecu-
liar to this country, although, perhaps,
more predominant and aggressive here
In Europe it is confined almost wholly to
the lowest classes and few fashionable
idiots among the upper ten, but in this
country it is universal; and while there the
use of slang is an evidence of ignorance or
imbecility, with us it bears no such re-
proaeh, and an apropos utterance of slang
seems rather to be considered a smart per-
Torrance, and is usually rewarded with a
smile.
Any great popular occasion gives birth
to one or more slang phrases, even a popu-
lar play often affords an opportunity for
enriching the ''slang dictionary" Every
one remembers the hardly erer of "Pina-
fore, and the last presidential election af-
forded its quota For anyone about that
time to say he's all right was a convincing
proof there were no flies on Him. These,
however, can scarcely come under the re-
proach of being slang, although occupying
debateable ground At all events it is not
as bad as good deal we so often hear
Yet, while we profess to speak English,
it would be much better if we could do so
in its purity. 1t is a grand and sonorous
language, and deserves better treatment
than the perversion and mutilation it so
frequently receives. Not long since, in a
public restaurant, we listened for several
minutes to a stream of pure and eloquent
English, that fell on our ears like sweetest
music. Subsequent inquiry developed the
speaker was a German, and had mastered
our language under German professor in
one Of the universities of FatF-riand. If
foreigner could thus speak pure English,
why should not we? Why do we not I?
The freedom of which we boast so much
does not warrant every man in using slang,
or attributing whatever meaning to a word
that may suit his fancy. The pandering
to this folly of slang is not an evidence Of
freedom by any means, but rather of
contemplate form Of slavery, that often
renders the conversation of an intellectual
man wholly incomprehensible to ordinary
| hearers,
The politicians are just now exercised
over the Bennett law and similar State
legislation, in which the compulsory edu-
cation in English is the disputed point.
But why make all this fuss about Ian
guage so few of us seem willing to use, and
which is rapidly being supplanted by slang.
1t seems sad commentary on the public
schools, that cost S115,0 100000 a year, to
be told by some of our distinguished edu-
Gators that we are ceasing to speak English,
and by small coterie of enthusiasts that
we do not know how to spell.
Here is field that offers a most excel
lent opportunity for the labors of these
spelling ''reformers 1t will be useless to
inaugurate the new spelling so long as we
persist in using slang. Why need we worry
over the nc in "pedagogue," when, if
woman, we call her "schoolmarm,' and,
if man, CHS nibs"? What difference
does it make whether we use t or phi for
physician, when we dub him cold bolus" or
"sawbones' Or why trouble about the
te in ''coquette, when she would usually
be termed ''masher"?
We have no doubt a systematized effort
might be made productive of very consid-
cradle benefit to the language, especially if
the reformers could eliminate from the YER
nacular all the words now misused as slang.
The subsequent task of respelling the few
that remained would be greatly simpli6ed;
and as most of us would have 10 attend
school again to acquire the knowledge of
framing sentences in the reconstructed
Enolish lanouaoe We cOulCS cOnturrentiy