St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-08-03
FoLk.sPeEcH IN ENGLAND.

SOmO Queer Phrases That Are Net 0t
Pleasing Tendency.
We do not deny that there is . Ger
tain interest in the folk-speech and
folk-phrases of any country. We learn
from it what the natural language of
the common people is in its primitive
state, what pictures they make to
themselves, what attitudes of mind
they prefer. But we can not say that
the study is altogether an agreeable
one. 1t shows that most people love
clumsy speech better almost than the
love speech that hits the exact mark;
that they prefer = grotesque image
that clears and corrects the natural
looseness and carelessness Of popular
language; and, worst of all. that they
prefer coarse humor to the humor
which is kind and playful.
We have before us . publication Of
the English dialect society, which
gives 'folk-phrases of four of our Mid
land counties-Stahtordsh Warwick
shire, Worcestershire and Glouter-
shire-with q very interesting glossa-
ry. Let US look at the glossary first.
One of the first phrases of the glossary
is "ayzam-jayzam" to express, flair
and square," upright and down
straight"-a phrase which assuredly
does not interpret itself, but which
when interpreted has = certain quaint
ness and grOtesqueness of sound that
excites the imagination and seems to
express the fitness of rhyme to illus
trate the fair spirit Of popular justice.
Still. what is most remarkable in
'ayzam-jayzam" is the clumsiness
and grotesqueness Of the speech.
Fair and square" II twice IS
natural and much more than twice
as lucid. 1t 10 q mistake to suppose
that popular dialect seeks after direct
ness. Rather it seeks after . round
about and unexpected way of uttering
an ordinary truism, loves flourish and
oddity of language rs much Is it loves
. certain vivacity of speech. So. too.
it prefers such q word rs ''chabble" or
''chobble" to the word ''chew." Chew
Is q much better imitation Of the sound
lnade in the mastication of food as it is
done by quiet and decent people than
either ''chabble" or ''chobble, but that
Is the very reason why the popular
spirit likes to dwell on the noisier
modes of masticatin9, which bring out
the louder sort of satisfaction that men
take In consuming their daily bread.
So to "chelp" is to talk overmuch, to
chatter for the sake of chattering.
Again, = "footstitch" is . footstep. .
curious evidence of the shufaing walk
of the common people, which suggests
the contact of the foot with super
fetal obstacles in its way, rather than
its mere lifting up and placing firmly
on the ground. But, perhaps, one of
the most disagreeable of the popular
for the reserved speech Of
educated people il the word given in
the glossary for ''trescle"-namely,
"dirty Dan1." which almost indicates
. superhuity of naughtiness in fancy
which invented it, and ought to have
been conceived by some one who dis
liked treacle and wished to disgust
people with its use. That, perhaps,
was the real motive Of the nickname;
but If 50, the medicine was worse
than the disease. A few children
with txescly mouths are less evils
than such . word - that for food
in common nee. So. 70. ''eodge and
modge" il . popular phrase for 70
''work badly" to make meas Of work.
and '.jibber and jumhles" il . Strait
ford-on-Avon word for sweetmeaAs-
surely . very disagreesble one, iAdi-
eating, We suppose, the osts1tatious
manner in which the people mouth and
gloat over them, and tie distorted
character Of their features while con.
sumin9 them Unqaastionably. the
dlalect words have . tendency 70 b
ugly in themselvea What eAa be IN
u&lier name for RooeebeRriee than
''soGA" or for nonaense. than 'bquik"
o for . moment than . ''stitehwhile. +"
- t3mo n 1nlrna - na1pa = sHSfeh3