The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-02
CURRENT SLANGUAGE.
How Our Vernaouisr Grows by AccretionE
The Person Who Uses Slang Finds Good
Language Tame and Foeble
IL Like IN Old Topper.
Ellen Burns in the Critic.


ands to a word to give it a damag-
lug Significance can be employed
with good effect in christening that
wayward and degenerate offspring of
English known as slang. In it's pre-
sent state, slanguage has attained to
such a luxurious completeness that it
warrants serious treatment. So
copious and comprehensive has it be-
come that there is hardly a human
want, feeling, or emotion OF the heart
that cannot be translated into this
vernacular of the bootblack. In
studying the philosophy of slang the
first natural query is, How and why
did it originateH TO tho first ques-
ton one might give, with certain
notifications, the same answer that
could be given to the question, Why
do people swear? The human ami
mai, like locomotive, seems to re-
quire escape valves for occasions
when there is too much steam in the
boiler. When man is overfowing
with admiration, anger or WONDER,
the ordinary adjectivcs do not Cor he
thinks they do not) mcot the emer-
gency. They do not relieve his pent-
up fullnHss any moro than Il sip from
a dewdrop would quench mans
thirst. The natural man and the
natural woman sometimes find relief
under strong emotion in explosive
utterances. In the case of anger,
the escape' valve expletive is an oath,
unless the man in question happens
to be gentleman, and sometimes,
though very rarely, when he is.
1t will thus be seen that slang, be-
ing Of emotional ancestry, is a first
cousin to the oath, and both are used
by those who mentally resemble the
man whose use of Intoxicating drinks
has made him forget Or underesti-
mate the attractions of pure water.
Slang, in sooth, is whiskey distil-
lation of language. 1t is so strong
that it may be taken only very rare
ly with impunity. And herein lies
the chief danger in it's use. Not only
does tho slanguist find ordinary
English tame, but he ends in not be-
ing able to find any English at all.
Another fatal characteristic of
slang is the very Jne which at first
secures its adoption-namely, it's
pungency. The same law>that makes
quiet colors and shades wear we'll in
tho world of fabrics has its counter
part in the world of speech. We
tire very speedily Of startling COS
tune, in high colors, and just as
speedily do wo tiro of slang, which is
startling, high -colored speech.
Still another reason why slang can
never gam permanent foothold in
the language is the utter lack of
dignity. No subject can be serious
ly treated in slanguage.
It's sole function is to tickle by it's
patness or its grotesquesness. Itre-
fleets fugitive iridescence upon cur
rent wit and humor, as the bubble
catches prismatic colors; but like tho
bubble, itvanishes even while you be
hold it. Naturally there are SLANG
phrases of all degrees of goodness
and badness, ranging from the word
which is only slight remove from
forcible but perfectly decorous ad-
jective, to slang Of the most daring,
deep-dyed order At ono end
Of tho scale, for Instance, one might
place "fetching," and at the other
end it's supersuperlative "rum."
Again, tho injunction "play ball" is
gentle and seemly, in comparison
with the brusque command "get
move on" Along certain lines the
slanggeist seems to revel in extrava
giant synonyms and antonyms, es.
pecially in those expressing somo in
trinity in the upper story. The
man who has "wheels" is also popn-
larly known as "nutty," "cracked,"
or "off his trolley" Again, if he
comes from the country, he is "corn-
ralsed," has "seed in his hair" or
his "face doesn't fit him." "Gall',
"nerve," "cheek," "sand," "brass"
and "face" are also nearly synonym
GUS terms for qualities whose uni
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