The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-22
ORIGIN OF "VULGARISMS'
SdSY OF THEM CAN mr. TRACED 10
RESFEcTABfIITY.
Highly Interesting Discussion of Some
Vulgar Draughu from the well
ofiEngllsh indebted.

II one were TO be thrown with Now
England farmer say Ia Massachusetts,
and converse with him for half an ho"N
ono would DE much surprised 10 near Ger
tain expressions auG phrases not current
81 the South 0r in the Middle states. on
Tor the matter o. that. even IN tne hup
City itself So. too IL one were 10 Nsl.H
90 an ordinary hdckw0ods man IN tho
Tennessee mountains. 81 Miss Mn'iicc mas
correctly represented that dialect lh nei
books. or 60 an i.litcrate teoltif" 3D. one
would hear certain words ana iocu'o,io
which would cguauv surprise him. In
both cases one would hear words peculiar
10 those respective districts. some OF
those words are nalvo 20 the soil; that
4 10 say. they des ynate things or Gus
toms peculiar 10 the people OF each dis
tflct. These. however are few. Inc
greater part Of these un fual words ne
long TO another class, Va. the WORDS
which standard English has discarded.
II Is this class Of words 70 which atten-
ton Is now drawn for moment
Persons literally educated do not know
unless obey have given some attention 10
this matter that many OF these phrases
now sugmatzcd as "vugarsms' were
once the proper ioims OF spcceh-tne Jus
q norma lou. Midland were therefore,
used hy the father of English poetry. ana
by a greater than Cnauccr, Shakespeare.
Let MS Illustrate hy "a few examples. ana
these shall De- taken from o. dialect wnicn
Is more familiar Co the readers OF The
Times than any of those above mention
ed. This dialect is the negro dialect.
THE NEGRO DIALECT
Every one who has ever heard the ola
negro preacher giving 'Nhortat at inc
close OF his fTvid sarmOn knows Wen
enough that. though the old preacher =
heart was an right, and himself on 'h'
way 20 tho kingdom, his conscience never
troubled him about his loose grammar.
~ot0ifhefandinq his sancuncauon and
ecstatic anticipation Of the joys or the
KINGDOM for which be was bound, he had
no conscientious sCruples about AKIN ms
ole mast'r IL the latter was at all tardy ID
altering him any desired help. Perhaps
many of those who were so familiar win
the lingo Of the old preacher never re
Elected that his language, Ike his hear',
was. after all. not very FAR wrong an,
entirely without precedent when ne axe
Tor something fie was bat obeying me
scrlptural Injunction. which. according 70
Tvndele's translation reads: AXE ana IL
shall be Ccven you.' Nor do they Know
that he was but following, though uh-
Willingly. the example set ny that MS
English printer. CaNton. VINO. IN t"e
preface 20 his Acneid OF Virgil reiaIe9
how certain Uncertainties tafyen ave
fsrloud. and axcd for mcte. and specyel-
Nv axod after cgrys." without being under
stood. however. by the good wife n the
-ortb Of England. who mstook the ian
euaro OF the south for French.
So I'm that "wcn Of English undeileo
we find This same word used, as a cursor!
Glance at the glossorial index or frol.
Keats dcfnitive slx-vOlume edition OF
Chaucer. Will clearly show US. Here oc-
rrr axinr. axe. aXcst axestoW iaskesl
.ho,0 axon. axcd. and oven axe al 80
-rrovfns and Criseyde. whore Antlgone, lh
rnniv 10 the old query whether every
wretch knows the perfect bliss OF IoFe'
.tren mos,en axe at seyutes y It is
Aurht fair in hevenei whyi Tor the|
md axen fcndes IS IT foul in helle."
no mis- same "well Of English unde-
filed" may be traced many other SOCIAL
cd vuiearisms OF present English long
since under the ban. The writer wouiu
vcrv much deprccate the event that TINS
fact should bring chaucer VINO was sucn
q very "gentel. parnte knight" into dis
,.-,,ts win anr of his affected admirers.
srfis face Will not qhate one Whit the III
ta~aef ana enthusiasm of those genuine
admirers who worship at the inner SHRINE
What has been said Of Chaucer may also
be said Of Shakespeare.
ABOUT OTHER WORDS.
The word givar for cover may likewise
H. traced back 10 literature. In that
beautiful early ballad, so justly STYLED py
Hales one OF the most exquisite pieces oi
late medieval poetry. occurs the patnet-
&c line: Noon (nonel other mouse but
LEWIS Gcavesi ard bows fboughs} 10 keNei
vour head and mvn minel," IN which we
see the verb. Chaucer, also furnishes US
with an example. The word OF course
comes from the cid French covfir, when
became kcver. passing into the colloqulai
River. This Is, also, the source OF manu-
kercher. handcher. for handherchle .
shortened into kerchief "a cover Tor me
heaO Shakespeare and ms hahuheioiie
81 or6 Oxorv." saws Lowell. IN his enter
tainlnr essay on the Yankee dialect as
sures as that Noltaire saw ihe pSst 80
ciet,, in England. and Noltaire tells nls
countrvrnen that handkerchief was pro
,oYncod handkerchief" which we knoN
etfn survives as provinciaiism all over
the country 80. 60,
40 Tho words fur. Cor, and furder, ioi
far ana further. The Scotch poet buii.
bar saws. "But furdor process. cam OF
tnairfore an0nc." and Chaucer says + 81
lien thv frendcs at thy CRETE nede' io'
tbo sentiment Of which compare Moore
.,rho friends who i'm our sunshine I'VE
,,hen winter comes are flown The au'
tho~ Of Pierre the ploughman Creo,
saws. 81 haven walked L ferrer ana wen
All abouten." which line seems very neal
10 the negro. -.,,
So might be cited. did space permit
many examples of gin. agin, ginst, etc
Tor again. against; ourn for our aieare
Tor afraid talso common in YANKEE uia.
lecD. seen for saw: driv for drovei he'
Tor heated: rid for rode. ris for rose. hoiP
hone for helped. clCmb for climbed etc.
ana rnlrable dictu, Bladder, In Chaucei
himself who. On the Squire's Tale say
~ lowd din the Chaucerian sense people
.erhev domen gladly 10 the bladder emo
whatever OF jusglery they In their ie"u
ness 90 not understand.
WRIT" AND RID"
Now many OF the vulgarisms oil oul
rustica nrcua are very clearly then te
he traced back 10 classic English authors
and were really at one time quite aloW
able. They are II You please archa''
words which no longer survive IN star
dard English. They have drlfted out OF
the current. and are no longer IN lh'
oQyin. They are but dry ana dead leaves
which the tree % language has sned, an.
Ar now prcgcrvcd IN some quaint ano
curious volume OF forgotten lore. ~
illustrative OF this class may be CITED
holm writ rid. etc. In Much Ado Ahou'
Nothing. Dogberry. though Tie dislocate'
the dictionary Tn speaking OF that Viiali
- ha nrophceies. would be condemns