The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-13
"EYETHERv AND NEYTHER."
Change Of Pronunciation Ordered by
"a Theatrical Manager.
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Queer things are fads in pronunciation,
and ever on the alert must be those who
aspire to mold their speech strictly in ac-
cordance with the latest discoveries in this
branch of knowledge; How easily they
selves most awe-inspiring is Illustrated by
the parable of THE Lyceum Actor and the
will now, after a brief introduction, pro-
coed to relate. Once upon a time every
American. except an occasional clergyman
in his official utterances, pronounced the
words 'either" and neither 'eeth r. =" a
"neether." Then arose certain purists who
declared this method of pronunciation ig-
Iong Sound nd of fe ae@ while ~els s' stood t only for for
that either and neither should he pro-
nounced 'eyether' and "neyether," and
the accepted manner of sounding the word
height" But they made no reference to
the sound of the word receive" which
reference would have confused counsel, or
to the sound of the word freight" wnicn
reference would have led them inevitably
into Hibernicism. So they made of either
and neither a shibboleth by which to
distinguish the cultured from the Pnilis-
tine, and many gave heed to them. Years
ceased to be affectations. Very many peo-
pie used this pronunciation naturally and
without preparedness, and even those VINO
continued to say '%'eetner' and "neether"
were prone to regard the otner pronuncia-
ton as the more indicative of refinement
and culture in the speaker, and sometimes
strove to use it when they desired to make
an impression, generally with disastrous re-
suits.
But when all this had come about and
''eyether' and 'neyther' seemed to have
firmly established their claim to superior
ity. there came to the theater of Mr.. Daniel
Frohman an actor yclet Miss Beatrice Cam
eron. TO whom was entrusted the leading
role I'm a new play. This one had from her
youth up been trained to regard ''eyther''
ana 'neyther'' as certificates of refinement
and to say them with JUNCTION and emphasis.
So when she received her part and per-
ceived that II was plentifully peppered with
"eithers" and ''neithers'' she reioiced great
~ and said to herself. behold, / Will par
alyze this metropolitan audience. with my
fin de siecleness." And on the first night
she said ''eyther'' and ''neyther'' with great
purity and distinctness all through the play
and never once missed or tripped. Next
morning she found TO her horror and SUR
prise. that every last dramatic critic I'm
New York had something TO say. about her
painfully provincial pronunciation Also
Mr.. %Frohinan sought speech with her and
informed her that the ladies and gentlemen
OF n certain amount of education and some
accustomedneNN 10 decent society, that he
had been painfully shocked TO notice that
her training and surroundings had been
such that she was habitually and uncon-
eciously guilty OF barbarous soleciams In
speech aud that she must, especially, either
train herself forthwith to say 'eether'' and
"neether' or hand In her resignation. A
new fad In pronunciation has evidently come
10 the fore and the old battle between
"eyether' and "eether" Is 10 be fought
time 'syether' Is TO be the under dog In
IfIt XIII.