The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-29
WELLS OF ENGLISH.
One in the Original Island, the
Other American.
DIFFERENCES IN THEIR OUTPUT.
expressions Which Signify One Thing
In England, Another in America-Dif-
ferentiAtions of Divided People.

guistic tyrants that it is not easy to place
oneself in perfectly unprejudiced frame
OF mind to judge between words of like
signihcation in the same language. From
the nature of the case it is impossible to
find for the English tongue an unbiased
umpire, yet both IN England and America
there must exist minds of sufficiently
judicial temper to separate themselves for
the moment from their nationality and,
presuming either to be equally correct,
decide upon the pure value of the word !;
which the better represents the idea, and
which will, with the least friction of
letters, convey the greatest amount of
thought; for the economy of language is
its greatest strength.
To the average Briton the american
language" is supposed to be something
entirely distinct from his, and, like those
who speak of it, degenerate English off
shoot. A woman of England remarked to
me that she was not surprised that found
no trouble in travelling. as l spoke English
so well. She had never before known an
American, though the .Wild West" had
exhibited in the vicinity, Take the SUBJ
ject in hand: In England one universally
hears, and most English writer's use,
differ to" rather than "differ FROM"
though when PINNED" down usually adj
NIT it to be incorrect They take in"
the newspaper, an expression where we
economic word by, only "taking it.
Attractive, as personal quality, carries
further to the English mind than to the
American, who. for qualities beyond the
social, as in statesman or commander,
would use magnetic" and thereby acquire
finer shade of meaning. A gentleman
asked me if did not 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 "hos-
pitable," which most emphatically I
could assent to; and assent also to
their having the better of us in
that word, which so beautifully conveys
its own meaning and bears not the
slightest resemblance to its American pro-
totype of ill-favor. "Clever" is short Eng
lish for intellectual" while the Ameri-
can use of the word is quite the reverse.
''Sick" is never used but to discriminate
the kind of illness" an adoption we may
wisely make. Remember is mind"
Furniture is not removed" or "stored,"
but "warehoused." The expression top"
and bottom" of the street or town at first
strikes one singularly, but it is easier said
than upper" or slower part" of the same.
and certainly conveys the same meaning.
"Stores" are "shops," and as we go
shopping" why not "shop" in Shops?
If in England we wish to "shop"
for spool of thread" we must
asked for reel of cotton" for 'canton
flannel" swans down cslico;" for
''shirting" "calIco"-though an English
writer on Americanisms asserts that we
ask for "web of musiin;" or, if we wish
''samples"it is necessary to ask for "pat-
terms" While Americans have been
much and deservedly ridiculed for their
authorizations of gents and ''pants," I
have seen both used in England; which
does not, however, prove it commend
able custom, but only exemplihes the folly
Of Throwing stones" by ''people who live
in glass houses" DRAPER" "haberdash-
err" 'ironmonger," etc.. more briefly des.
ignate the kind of shop than do the
American equivalents.
In Observation-Disclosures may have
been his verdict as to the relative order of
different words-this unprejudiced umpire
must, if letters have any arbitrary sig
MITIGATION, 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; thus the true Briton looks
with indulgent pity upon one who, ig-
norant of the vaiuelessness of letters
In these exceptional cases, uses them
with the power bestowed upon MIN
by linguistic English authorities. At
Oxford you must never betray your
non-insularity by mentioning Magdalen
college, which to all good Englishmen is
"Maudlin," Cholmondely is "Chumly,"
Leicester, Lester" Marylebone, Mar
name becomes "Sinjan." Clerk is uni
versally called clark" though by what
rule can be made to have the sound of
doth not appear; perhaps, by the same
which too many Americans apply to
very" pronouncing it vary" until in
England it is accounted an Americanism.
American railroad is English "rail-
way" and everything connected with it is
known by q different name, some of
which better convey the meaning, while
in others we have the advantage.
station" is certainly more correct than
depot" borrowed in spelling, though not
in pronunciation or Specification, from the
French. In England you book" at the
"booking-office" with the "booking-clerk,
while in America you get your ticket" at
the ticket office" of the ticket agent"
Book" has the advantage over "get your
ticket" in economy OF words. but fails to
represent the thing done, as your name is
not entered in a b ok, nor does any book
figure in the transaction. The car" is
called q carriage" and that European
vehicle partakes more OF the nature of a
-~;o j. &c 4 tor
The baggage car" is luggage
van" and, of course, baggage is
"luggage;" but why-as it is neither uni
yersaly "bagged" nor "lugged"-not sac
rihce economy to truth and give to it the
comprehensive Latin name ''impedi-
mentse" Freight trains" are goods
trains" perhaps equally significant.
Cheeks" would be ''brasses," if travellers
in England ever had the good fortune to
use them: and the rails" are called met
ais" neither of which words convey an
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 "all aboard" the guard"
take your seats" so in the interests
of breyity we would have the guard"
shout "all aboard" street car" is
tram. each. perhaps, equally appropriate,
So again the shorter would win. The tel
ecraph operator becomes telegraph
clark" while Operator" conveys an
added dignity, We might accept "clerk'-
clark" never The English head of the
family is often spoken of by its members
as the MASTER" and by the children as
dad" while an especial mark of affection
is 10 call the 'grandmother" granny"
An English critic has written that Ameri-
cans call their immediate progenitors
r.nnner and mnmner:n he must have Wis