St. Landry democrat., 1891-03-14
The Numbering Of Negro Idiom.

Now that the Negroes are being edu-
Gated, it is well enough to preserve some
of their gibberish, for it is likely soon to
be heard no more: yet nothing is more
disgusting than to see how writer's overdo
their idiom, and where they cannot make
a Negro idlom they change the spelling
where both races pronounce alike
Tie softening of our words and elision
of harsh consonants betrsy the tropical
origin of our Negroes Tropical people
| delight in vowels-as "Owyhee;" northern
in consonants-ss "Kamschatka. 1t is
said the Chinese have no word but ends
in vowels: hence they say "alle" for all,
and 'gonee" for gone. 1t seems that they
have no ''r," for they say 'Melliken" for
American. The Negroes don't like e."
as "Lawd" for Lord, and "hoss" for horse.
Some disfgure Negro language so no
Southerner can understand it Instance
Octave Hanet, in his "Expiation." What
Negro ever says ''hier' for here or ''am"
for is, as "dis niger am here? Indeed,
it is rarely they use the word "nigger,"
and always in reproach.
Rarely Negro substitutes "b" for "v,"
as "hab" for have, or "hebben" for heaven.
Such words are put into his mouth by
whites - not used by blacks. What is
easier than ''love"? and yet these persons
make them say club for love. Negro
talks in no such manner. At least never
heard it, though nursed by slaves, and al
ways lived where they lived. They say
"dis" and 'dat" for this and that, but ser
for a, or "ter" for to they never use. Nor
do know who do thus use it, unless it is
Northern idiom.
The eth" or theta of the Greeks is as diff
fcult with the French or German as it is
with Negroes, and rather more go, and es-
peclally the Germans are rs slow to learn
1t as we are to pronounce their gutterals.
The Negro often says "ax" for ask,
"postes" for posts, and doubt but we had
better kept the old Saxon lax" than to
have substituted the unutterable "ask''
and casks" which are Impossible to vocal
ize but must be syllabled in whispers.
Negroes gave US the word "tote," which
will likely be authorized, as We have no
single word in our language to express its
meaning. literally meaning to bear and
carry on or by our bodies.
Negroes make our language easier and
softer, hence children will sooner learn to
talk from them than from their white
mothers. They shun complex sounds, and
shorten and soften words ending in harsh
consonants, as 'livin'" for living, "do1n'"
for doing, AKIN" for asking
They, too, like illiterate whites, will
sometimes add letter to conform to some
familiar word, as "brand" for bran, and
''shore" for sure, "watermillions" for wa
termelons, but in almost all these cases
they smooth the idiom.
Negroes also have way of combining
parts of different words. l have filled |
with laughter at hearing Negro line |
hymn in which he emphasized "solem-
cholly" for melancholy, but in every in
stance the Negro language is easily under
stood.
This last popularity of using improper
words, or using words Improperly, and
yet being perfectly Ineligible, was dis
played lately by an industrious freedman.
A friend, merchant, was riding through
the parish collecting, and called at the
gate of Uncle Nat, who, unknown to the
had been badly ruptured. See
ing my friend at his gate he hobbled out.
"Well, Uncle Nat, how do you get
along ?" said the merchant.
'tJess tolable; but Marse John, I'm de
vuss corrupted man you ever seei."
"Well, Uncle Nat, if you are worse
han some of our office holders you deserve
premium -Amer1c0n