The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15
THE AMERICAN SPEECH.
Scholars Who Consider Ii Standard
of English.

Two recognized English scholars and
philologists agree with the statement made
recently by President Thomas. of Bryn
Mawr College, that the English spoken in
this country is purer and freer from de-
cadent dialects than in the mother country.
The trend Of opinion also favOrs the posi-
ton taken by Miss Thomas namely, that
the development OF the language is towards
a universal English language as spoken in
the United States.
DR.. g p. G. Scott. the genealogical editor
Of the Century Dictionary, when asked
ABOUT the purity of English used in Amer
lea, said:
There Is no doubt that the inhabitants
OF the United States. the whole. pro-
nounce English more distinctly, more clear
ly. more weightily than the inhabitants Of
England pronounce it. This is proved not
only by the observations of American phi
lologists. but also, and chiefly, by the now
numerous and exact phonetic transcriptiOns
Of British pronunciation made by British
scholars themselves. Ellis. Street, FL
worthy and other professed phoDeticians.
DR.. Murray and Mr.. Bradley in the great
New English Dictionary (known also as
the Oxford Dictionary. DR.. Joseph
Wright in the English Dialect Dictionary
present a scientific record of British pro-
nunciation. on which definite comparisons
can be based.
British pronunciation is marked by
relative meagerness of full, even vovels
and an extreme frequency Of weak, uncer-
tain vowels. The place Of the full. even
vowels Is taken by quick, unstable diph-
thongs and 'half-diphthongs.' The diph-
thongs In aisle, isle, etc, and In Faust,
house, etc, run through a great range of
variation. The so-caIed long a and long
O. are usually made diphthongs, and also
rim n nc 0f rorfa Ion no
abundance of weak, uncertain vowels is
due to the Capitalization of the stress on
one syllable. The primary stress thus
secondary stress to the minimum or to
the vanishing point. The weaker vowels
are 'slurred' to death A long word. say
testimony, military literature, will have
only one stress with three non-stresses:
Tes ti-mo-ni. mi'li-ta-ri. hte-ra-tiur (where
stress. Three non-stresses are unstable.
One or more will fall away This gives us
ties tim nj, mi'li-tri. litra-tiur. Mr.. Sweet
cha This is hard saying, but it is an
no care all. and the thing is done.
I'm America ii is not so. At any rate, il
is not so bad. We say tes-ti-mo-ni
mi-Ii-ta-ri. H-te-ra-tiur'' Cwhere the grave
accent indicates clear secondary stress
We pronounce ordinary as or-di-na-ri and
further to or-na-ri Cornery), for meaner
uses.
a word or sentence weakens it. The natural
stresses should be kept. They convey the
voice and thought. The languages beauti-
full for pronunciation keep the stresses.
The orator speaks best with flow OF fire.
quent stresses the poet cannot sing with
out a measured flow of stress.
There are teachers who think that chill
dren should be taught to pronounce long
words with only one stress, in the British
fashion This is a pedagogic mistake. Ii
IS teachlng degeneration. The teaching
| should be toward fullness. ciearness, weight
| OF utterance. 1t should favor sonOrOus.
| rhythmic sequence. In pronunciation, as in
| everything else, weakness will come with
/ out teaching. The teaching of 'elocution' is
| all right SO it be done with sense, by men
ana women or sense. Without sense, 'elo-
| cution is indeed a terror. a bull of Basham
| an abominatiOn Of desolation.
| I'm these military and imperial days of
| expansion and Mysteries Americans ought
| to keep what virtues they have left Let
| US, then, pronounce our words clearly, with
| two stresses to every four-syllable word
and three stresses TO every lengthier word
| Let US also learn to spell in a scientific,
| Notwithstanding fashion. Let us reform
| our inherited photographic evils on the
lines approved by all scientific philologists
| like March, Whitney. Bloomfield, Hempt
| Murray, Skeat, Sweet and all the host of
i them. Incidentally let US also endeavor to
perceive that not all new novels of '2OOO 600
| words. written by girls and boys, and sold
| in 100000 copies before publication" are
| important literature 1t is of no use to
pronounce clearly or to spell scientifica lIv
>,
| or content ourselves with the expansive
Mysteries of the chromatic press
| and actor, said:
| For language which has been so
| shamefully treated by some of its speakers
and writers English preserves a vitality
| which seems 10 confirm the tendency of
/ history that it shall become the universal
/ speech of coming generations
| The Wanted Elizabethans, even when
/ the great maker, the poet player of STRAIT
| ford. cementing the foundations of its
| supremacy, affected to despise the Language
OF their people e,s and to regard Latin as the
INDICATED and gloriied Shakespeare the
world around
| OF his lovers should look to the English
drama for the rule of the spoken word We
are an over good-natured people that we
! let so much pretension and bounding ig-
/ norance obtrude itself upon our drama and
| literature as burden them to-day.
| With dialect stories filling up our books
| and wild and apparently ungovernable
| disregard of distinct utterance making un-
/ Ineligible the utterance of the stage, 1t is
| impossible for fair mind to have content
In reading or peace in hearing much Of the
| popular effort Of so-called leaders of
| thought at the present day.
l have no doubt a time will come and
| 1t may not be far off. for I'm our public
| opinion acts quickly. positively and unmis
| takably, when the stage will be shaker
| from its Incidence in this regard by out.
| tons, mannerisms and amusing distortion:
| Of good English on the stage have within
/ short time lost their little vogue and
| already audiences and critics making
| demand for more scholarships in the speak.
/ ing models of the drama We may come tC
| point from which we will exercise in the
/ theater as swift and effective criticism OF
/ careless or imperfect speech as did the
/ French. Italian or Greek. to whom once
| the first fault was signal for outspoker
| disapproval.
| 1T is equally the inalienable right oil
/ the auditor in a theater to express his dis
! approval or his approval and no suppress
| sion of this, il may be called. common
| sense right. can last for long. If the jury
| invited to inspect and judge the actors eff
| forts says to him. Speak up or Shame,
/ he is bound TO regard their attitude with re.
/ spect and learn TO do better. len the
| long-abused good humor OF English audi.
| ences shall take active note OF these things
| the stage and its influence will be much i'm
| proved.
] "In delivery the stage has declined during
| the last twenty years. There are players
| with high ideals and ambitions. but, con-
/ sciously or unconsciously. they have led
/ the public TO hear with its eyes. Admir-
/ able in certain character parts diplomatic,
/ charming and tactful in his business rela-
\ tons and remarkable and scholarly as a
| stage manager-in a word. a soul of a great
| article. Sir Henry Irving. by his extraor-
/ binary delivery. has wrought great mischief
( 10 the speech OF the contemporary stage.
/ and the mischief is the more regrettable
| and deplOnable on account OF his popular
] his comma ndfug pOsirfOn and ba