The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-05-08
wREsrLlNa MIMI NNGLlsH.

Tho Sturdy Efforts OF Foreigners TO Master
Our Idioms and Some Results.
San FrGaeicO Chronicle,
The struggles OF foreigners with the
English language have become pro-
verbal, especially since there was given
to tho world that funnies. OF all books,
English aa She is Spoken" which, az
Is we'll kRowp, is u free translation Of
the real title, which was "lhe New
Guide to Portuguese and English" The
popularity OF the book was due chiefly
10 the TACT that it's author had procured
a book OF French %ColloQuial dialogues,
which, with the aid OF u dictionary, he
put word by word into English, though
lie knew literally nothing OF French.
Necessarily he carries over bodily
idiOm after idiom, and as his knOwl-
edge of French, the tumble and contu-
sion that resulted may be easily i'm
agined. For example, m OF his fami-
liar phrases is; ut must never to laugh
OF the unhappies," and another. "He
burns oneself the brains" which any
French scholar will recognize at once as
literal TRANSACTIONS, or rather traduc'
tons. The author gives his readers the
following humorous aaeCdote: "ORe-
eyed was laid against q man which had
good eyes that lie saw better than him.
The party was accepted, 4 have gain
over said the one.eyedi why, | see
you two eyes, and you not look me who
oneY"
All Californians are familiar with
Chinese English, and OF late have been
made acquainted with the attempts OF
tho Japanese to master the intricacies
OF English, some OF which, by the way,
are very amusing. Tho japanese, it is
to be noted, are uniformly polite letter
writer's, the kitchen boy who desires
leave OF absence or an increase in his
wages approaching tho subject with a
la~vishness of compliment and m extent
Of decentralization which would do honor
to a trained diplomatist.
India, however, ii We may judge from
a number OF recent publications on the
the subject of bobu English, as it is
commonly known, will have to DO
awarded the palm for queer English.
The East Indian is ambitious and is u
diIigent student, but in many cases he
becomes cnamored, seemingly, OF verbal
forms md niceties and uscs words to
tho dotriment OF ideas. For example,
n student during an examination was
required to write an essay upon the
horse, which he did in tho following
summary fashion; "The horse is u very
noble animal, but when irritated lie
ceases to do So" Henry Georges
progress and Poverty" was boiled
down by another ossayist in this way:
"Tho rich man welters on crimson vel.
vet, while tho poorman snorts on flint"
The book OF all East Indian books for
extraordinary English is the memoir OF
0noocool Chunder Mookerjee, Judge OF
the high court OF India, published by
his nephew shortly after the death OF
his uncle. We can select only u few
gems here and there to show the char
acter and style Of this remarkable liter
ary production. The learned Judge was
stricken with illness while on tho bench,
and his biographer says: "All the well
known doctors OF Calcutta did what they
could with their puissanCe and knack
OF medical knowledge, but it proved
after all as II to milk the ran. His
wife and children had not the mournful
consolation to hear his last words; he
remained soto voce for a few hours and
then went to God at about 6 p. M"
Such a distinguished man was natur-
ally charitable, and this is tho way his
euiogist sums up that side OF his char.
tor: "rhe IIon'ble Mookeriee did bleed
freely. Int ha Wns not n l%eViathnn on
the ocean OF liberty; the mode OF as
signment OF his charities was to such
men as VIC truly wish and recommend
and exsusCitate enthusiastically. He
used to give monthly to many relics
who had no hob.baboy-hoy even to sup
port them, and had no other source Of
sustenance left to them by their con
porIU