The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-11-04
COM PAUL KRUGER
LEARNS ENGLISH

!
fish. He said to his secretary, Hoe yer is
net van hier?' An Englishman and a Ger
man completed each the sentence according
to his vernacular, each thinking the presi-
dent had suddenly tried ito speak German or
English, and had not quite but nearly sue
ceeded. The German said Herr President.
/ you almost speak German. Vie welt ist {
Won hier?" The Englishman put in: How
| far is it from here? Mr.. President you
speak almost excellent English, but you
must avoid getting the American accent
Accent puzzled Dom Paul more than the
meaning of words. His German secretary
always called him, in the familiarity of his
| home, Oheim toheicn being German for
uncle) The American governess of the
! youngex1 girls called him Grandfather
Pawl, while the German secretary said in
! correction, Grossvater Powl showing to the
president that distinction of accent was
fransltory, while the identity of the words
themselves was obvious. But the German
| secretary said WORT and the American
governess said wurd and an English guest
pronounced it ward.
Oheim Dom Paul continued to ask
questions in Dutch, TO which the English
! gues'b and the American goveIness replied
/ in turn. Kan TX in cen uur-and the Ger
man secretary said to himself he is speak
ing German, Kann Ich in Elm uhr-but the
1 governess answered. can l in an hour. and
the friend from London corrected the
American and said in his manner, Kenn eye
cen an hover Whereupon Dom Paul sad
under his breath, ''This business of pro-
nunciation of English is impossible. We
ought to have an international congress to
make the crooked ways of language
straight Such a congress would facilitate
good understanding among nations more
than treaties about land or commerce. The
queens English is, as the Blue Brook
shows, largely French Emperor Williams
German is chiefly Dutch and the speech of
the Amerikanders has successfully revolted
and declared it's independence. 1 will get
me a book"
The book Uncle Paul or Powl or Pole got
was entitled Help U Zelf Met Engelisch."
| It said by way of explanation that it is
Zen Halfboekje voor hen die Engelsch
wien sprechen." 1t was also the 'Tweede
druk." The German secretary laughed and
said THAT is broken German, 1t means,
a handbook for people who wish to speak
|
Englander put in: "Hexaktly. Hit hawt
hof cawrse to be, Andbook for those 90
weel larn Henglish. We once said, dawn't
| We knaw, toody for second, and 1t was
spelt by the old printers twoody or tweedy,
as appened to syut their fawncy." As In
Gle Paul read out the title the governess
| said: "Oh, except a word or two, that is
| all American"
| Thinking he would learn little at time,
| Uncle Paul said: Hoe Lat is het." 1t
sounded so like good American the gov
erness smiled in approval, but the German
shook his head. 1t ought, he thought, to be
''Vie vlel uhr list es''-how much watch is
it, literally. But the Highlander put in:
Mister Praisedent, We hawt to sooy what
o'clack is it, De klok?" answered Uncle
| Paul interrogativey. DE klok? Wifi min
uten voor half zeven." The governess
smiled again. "a strange way of counting
time He means twenty-five minutes past
six, but, otherwise, he is learnig our lam
| guage rapidly" German is his way of
counting" said the German, but otherwise
not in the right" Min horloge is afge-
| loopen," said the president. German,
French and little English" said the Ger
man secretary; what language Dutch
is One of the company, a child, spoke
up, and asked where her cat Uncle
Paul answered in Dutch, "Hij kwam het
l,aam ult" which the governess involun-
tariy translated, ''He came the room OUT
But the Highlander put in: THAT is not
idomatic English, miss. You should sooy
the cat cote out by the window" PAR
DON" said the German secretary, "the right
idiom would be that he came out with the
window. You go with ship, with a train,
not by it, as YOU later English say. Your
authentic English used to be with, not by
Meanwhile Uncle Paul was coming his
handbook entitled Help u Zelf." He was
! counting his fingers. The pronunciation
was almost like English, but the spelling
was almost like the German. Thus 1T ran:
! Zen, one. Dertien. rthirteel.