New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-30
THE AMERICAN" LANGUAGE.
WITH SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON THE
APPLICATION OF AMERICAN PRIN-
CIPLES TO THE MAKING OF
DICTIONARIES

London May II.
The editor Of THE Standard Dictionary" who
writes you May is quite right in suppos!ns
that what l said about spelling referred to the
"Wcbsterese' anomalies and eccentricites I'M
happily as | think, adopted in the new diction-
airy. said nothing. so far as remember. about
the scientific alphabet used as key In the re-
spelling for pronunciation. nor do | understand
how his correspondents got that notion into their
heads. DR.. Funk states hi own view OF the
matter with a moderation which wins respect.
and with courtesy which warmly acknowl-
edge Yet I do not think, az ne seems 10 suppose.
that we need despair of seeing America return to
better methods OF spelling than those which the
majority now practise. The wrong usage Is by
no means universal The Tribune still holds
up a torch 10 light its readers on the right ROAD;
and so do others. II DR.. Funk had seen his
way to do the same. his Dictionary would have
had a great influence on the right side. as II must
now have a great influence on the wrong side.
No doubt It is as he says the province Of a
dictionary record. 20 reflect usage. But what
usage? Patriotism says American usage. ana
upon that notion many an editor has traded sue
cessfully. Appeal TO a prejudice which happens
to be widespread at the moment. and there Will
always be applause from certain class whose
preferences are based on careful avoidance OF
the knowledge Of what is best elsewhere. Dr..
Funk will not suppose l am referring to him.
I am referring to nobody in particular. He sees
and says frankly, that, editor Of an I'M
portant dictionary likely. Judge. 10 be popular
and descrvedly popular, he cannot but give
direction or emphasis u usage. II he mistakes
the eddy for the current. so much the worse
II he chooses to accept the usage of majority
of one branch OF the great English-speaking race
all over the world decisive. he Will please
many.
OF course we all recognize the distinction OF
the philoogists whom he quotes in favor OF the
method he has chosen. They are entitled TO be
heard. They are not, think, final arbters. The
final arbiter U.s. as DR.. Funk says. usage; not a
local or limited usage, or even national usage,
but the usage which prevails among the best
authorities throughout the English races. Nor
do mean by best authorities DR.. Whitney or
I DR.. March or any Of the specialists. They do
not sit on the bench their place Is on the witness
| stand The best authorities are Of letters
and Of literature and of the world the intelligent.
capable classes. Whether they be a minority or
! q majority matters little. They will, in the long
| run settle such matters for themselves and for
| others.
| 1t is time to protest against the pretensions OF
science Mr. Goodwin Smith gave us all the
other day most excellent advice In an age OF
science the present undoubtedly Is. let US be
literary. Let Literature assert her rights. Phil
| oogy and linguistics are her handmaidens not
| her masters. Let them PROFOUND their scientific
| system, and let Literature say whether she
| thinks II avails her not The man OF science
| is almost always the slave Of his own hobby.
| DR.. Funk quotes on his side the chemical
section Of the American Society for the Advance
ment Of Science as recommending certain spell
|
fur" and the like What have chemists 10 do
| with spelling? Just much as photographers
have to do with crucibles and retorts. and no
more Science is, perhaps, a little too conscious
of her merits and OF her immense services to
mankind and too prone to assert her preroga-
| tives in domains which she enters only as priv
| ileged guest She is royal II you like, but there
| are kingdoms in which her writ does not run.
| The Kingdom OF English Literature and the Re-
| public of Letters ought TO be free from invasion
no matter how eminent the invaders Away with
your scientific alphabet. and your scientific sys-
tenn OF spelling IL it is to present us with such
| neologistic horrors as traveller Will
finally lead to pronouncing "trayvelcr:"-as
"archeology" as 'esthetics," and the rest
The American dictionary maker will presently
| bethink himself that he has another public
| than the American. and that his subject-matter
Is not the American, but the English language
| He has appointed himself photographer to the
Anglo-American universe. OF which England is
| still. for some purposes. considerable part. He
| has got possession of small portion of the
| English market. An idea prevails that Ameri-
| can dictionaries are the best for popular USE
| and so they But imagine that DR.. Funk
and DR.. Whitney and their colleagues have little
notion of the prejudice they create against their
| own work. or Of the strength Of the principle
| they challenge It is for them and their publish
ers to say which market or which public they
| care most for; orwhether they prefer one to two
Commercial considerations must govern to q