Morning journal and courier., 1892-04-13
THE QUEENS ENGLISH.
It Differs I'm Very Material WAY
From the President's.

From the Presidenss.
Prom the Pittsburg DIspatch.J
In England one universally hears, and
most English writers use, "differ to" rath-
er than differ FROM" though when
'pinned" down usually admit it to be in
correct. They ''take in" the newspaper,
an expression where we economic a word
by only taking it.
Attractive" as personal quality, car
ries further to the English mind than to
the American, who, for qualities beyond
the social, as in a statesman or command
er, would use magnetic" and thereby &C.
quire a finer shade of meaning. A gentle
man asked me If 1 didn't find the English
"homely," which certainly could not be
so uncomplimentary as to acknowledge in
an American sense of the term. Seeing
my hesitation he changed it to "hospita-
bic" which most emphatically could as
sent to; and assent also to their having the
better of us in that word which so beauti-
fully conveys its own meaning and bears
not the slightest resemblance to its Ameri-
can prototype of ill-favored. "Clevsr" lie
short English for intellectual" while the
American use of the word is quite the re-
verse. 'Sick" is never used but to dis
criminate the kind of ''illness," an sdop
ton We may wisely make. Remember"
Is ''mind." Furniture is not removed"
or STORED" but "ware-housed." The eI-
preston ''top" and "bottom" of the street
or town at first strikes one singularly, but
it is easier said than upper" or ''lower"
part of the same, and certainly conveys
the same meaning. "Stores" are "shops,"
and as we go shopping" Why not sxhop"
in shops" If in England we wish to
"shop" for "spool of thread" we ask for
"reel of cotton" for Canton flannel"
"swapsdown Calico" for "shirting," Zeal
ico," though an English writer on Ameri-
canisms asserts that we ask for a "web of
muslin:" or, if we wish samples" it is
necessary to ask for patterns"
While Americans have been much and
deservedly ridiculed for their abbrsvia-
tious of gents" and "pants," have seen
both used in England, which does not,
however, prove it a commendable custom,
but only exemplifies the folly of "throw-
houses" Draper" 'haberdasher," ''iron-
monger," &C., more briefly designate the
kind of "shop" than do the American
equivalents.
In pronunciation-whate may have
been his verdict as to the relative order of
different words-this unprejudiced umpire
must, if letters have any arbitrary signi6-
cation, give the victory TO America. The
corruptions of the ignorant have, how
ever, so engrafted themselves upon the
mother tongue, many times even changing
the spelling-as when Rue du Roi became
Rotten Row-that the true Briton looks
with indulgent pity upon one who, igno-
rant of the valuelessness of letters in these
thar xrith ba
er bestowed upon him by linguistic Eng
lish authorities.
At Oxford you must never betray your
non-insularity by mentioning Magdslen
college, which to all good Englishmen is
"Maudlin." Cholmondely is ''Chumly,"
Leicester, Lester" Marylebone, 'fMar-
rowbone;" while st. John as a family
name becomes "Sinjin." Clerk is univer-
sally called "clark," though by what rule
sc" can be made to have the sound of ga"
doth not appear; perhaps by the same
rule which too many Americans apply to
"very," pronouncing it wary" until in
England it is accounted an Americanism
American railroad" is English railway"
and every thing connected with it is known
by a different name, some of which better
convey the meaning, while in others We
have the advantage "Station" is certain
ly more correct than depot" borrowed in
spelling, though not in pronunciation or in
Specification, from the French. In Eng
land you "book" at the "booking Office"
with the ''booking clark" while in Ameri-
ca You "get your ticket" at the "ticket
Office" of the ''ticket agent"
The ''car" is called carriage" and
that European vehicle partakes more of
the nature of a carriage than does Its
American prototype. The "baggage-carn
is "luggage-van." and, of course, "bsg-
gage" is LUGGAGE" but why-as 1t is
neither universally dragged" nor Tuggedn
not sacrifice economy to truth and give
to 1t the comprehensive Latin name 'im-
pedimentap Freight trains" are goods
trains" perhaps equally significant.
och ecks" would be "brasses," If travellers
in England ever had the good fortune to
use them, and the trails" are called "net-
ais" neither of which words conveys any
idea of the use of the metals" or their
kind. Conductors" are guards" and,
as they both conduct and guard the
train, have perhaps equal significance.
When about to start the conductor"
shouts call aboard" the guard" 'ttake
your seats," 30 in the interests of breyity
we would have the guard" shout 'all
aboard" 'Street carr is ''tram," each
perhaps equally appropriate; SO again the
shorter would win. The telegraph ope-
rator" becomes telegraph clark" while
Operator" conveys and added dignity, we
might accept "clerk"-''clark" never.