The Indianapolis journal., 1897-04-12

colleges academies and high schools have
added the English classics TO their course
OF studles, and there Is a tendency among
all classes of intelligent people TO cultivate
a better knowledge of the language A
helpful work in this direction is English
synonyms, Antonyms and Propositions" by
James c. Fernald. The English language
Is particularly rich In synonyms, as, with
such history. 1t could not fail TO be. From
tne time OF Julius Caesar. Britons Romans.
Northmen. Saxons. Danes and Normans,
ngnting, Torufying and settling upon the
soii or England. with Scotch and Irish con-
tending FOR mastery or existence across the
mountain border and the channel. and all
fenced In together by the sea, could not but
influence each others speech. In other
ways, by Importation and accretion, the
English language has received additions
from all parts of the world, until il results
tnai there is scarcely a language ever
spoken among men that has not some rep
reSentative in English speech. The spirit
OF the Angio-Saxon race, masterful in IAN
eudse dS IN war and commerce, has subJu-
gated all these various elements to one
loloIn. making not a patchwork. but CON-
poSite language. II Is obvious that in such
language there must be many So-called
synonyms, and yet on close study il Will be
found that scarcely any two of such words
are ioentical at once in signitication and in
use They have certain common ground
Wltnin which they are interchang cable but
outside OF that each has its own special
province. within which any other word
comes an intruder The aScertaining and
defining of these fine shades of meaning.
thus dinerentiating from each other words
actly the same meaning makes the study
of synonyms particularly interesting. IL Is
useful, also In revealing the unsuspected
rlcheS OF the language and supplying stu
dents. writers or speakers with a copious
vocabulary. The present work is much the
most comprehensive one that has been
other respects. 1t treats in $40 pages more
9han sa1 I.9o synonyms, and upward or
500 antonyms. The latter are val.
liable as supplying definition by contrast
or by negation. OF his method in the treat
ment OF synonyms the author says: The
method followed has been 10 select from
every group OF synonyms one word, or two
contrasted words. the meaning of which
may be settled by clear definitive state
ment, thus securing some fixed point or
points, TO which all the other words OF the
group may be referred AS an illustra-
ton. take the word grief and its related
words, sorrow, sadness. melancholy. affic-
tion, mourning. Grief" says the author,
lis acute mental pain. resulting from loss,
misfortune or deep disappointment. Grief
is more acute and less enduring IMAM sor-
row. Sorrow and grief are for definite
cause; sadness and melancholy may arise
from vague sense of want or loss. from a
low state of health, or other ill-deilneu
cause: sadness may be momentary; melan-
choly is more enduring and may become
chronic. Afliction expresses deep heart
sorrow and is applied also to the misfor-
tune producing such sorrow; mourning
most frequently denotes sorrow, publicly
expressed. or the public expression OF sucn
sorrow may reasonably be expected
This shows how very closely words may
approach each other in meaning without be-
ING exactly synonymous. Thousands of
synonyms or sets of synonyms are treated
in the same manner. Young writers VIII
find much help from the indication OF the
correct use of propositions. the misuse OF
which is one of the most common or errors,
and one of the most difficult to avoid
set of questions and examples ADDS 10 tne
convenience OF the work as a textbook. out
il will be found of value to the lndiVlduai
student and TO writers and speakers. lts
value is enhanced by copious alphaoeIlcai
index Cloth. Sl50 New York: FUNK d
oil