The Tucson citizen., 1901-12-21
THE PRONUNCIATION or ENGLISH

THE PRONUNCIATION or ENGLISH.
We have received communication
written on University OF Arizona
paper. and signed Professor" but
without further Identification OF the
writer. Usually The Citizen takes no
notice OF anonymous communications,
but as the one from Professor Is
| courteous, and evidently written In
good faith we will give 1t consIdera-
tion.
/ Professor says: Il was much inter
ested in your editorial on the English
language but | think you must be
grossly mistaken when you say that
the Dublin Irish speak the purest
English. have heard lrishmen from
all parts OF Ireland speak English. or
Chinaman. a German. Hungarian
or anyone else foreign 10 the English
tongue, can speak better English with
slight effort. The pronunciation of
the lrishman. as a general rule. Is
barbarous until he comes In contact
with Americans or English and ac-
quires his parts OF speech in a modl-
fed form" There Ia much 10 the same
effect
We are afraid the Professor has not
Travelled far nor read deeply. If he
had he would not he SO cock sure that
he knew 1t all. 1t is no new stigges-
ton that irishmen talk better English
than the English. Dean Swift wrote to
Pope expressing his regret at some
slight ting remark Of the latters con
cerning the Irish: THE English
colonies. who are three parts In four,
are much more civilized than many
counties in England and speak better
English. and are much better bred. ;"
Ii will be remembered that the Dean
was an lrishman and would thank
everyone 10 remember II.
To study the English spoken In
Ireland is interesting and profitable
to a student OF English literature The
Irish accent is the result OF arrested
dcyelopment Everybody knows how
Cromwell planted the province Of
Munster with English colonists. how
thcy thr0ye therein until the Restora-
ton the Bishops harried them as nom
eonformists. and the English govern
ment closed all markets against them
and how they faded out OF the joyIcss
land which they made smiling and
fertile, The native Irish learn readi-
ly. when they must, and never forget
The English garrison. Cromwelis
ye,crans. when they were established
ana dominant taught the Celts Eng
learned no new fasnlons in English
speaking They pronounce II today
as Cromwell and his troopers, as MIL
ton. Dryden and even Pope pro-
nounccd it. The brogue at which the
English smile IL the accent which
Ireland learned from the Cromwellan
settlers
The many headed multitude In Ire
land who are 'agn the government"
use The old proposition which they
learned before it was modernized into
HGainst' The word survives. OF
course. IN many rural districts In
Eugiaud, and even In the backwoods
of New Hampshire and Maine. where
thcH" Is littlr reading of books
Tn" popularity of an Irishmans
pronunciation oI English which most
aufa'ts the student. Is the broad
sound given to such words as please
s"n. beast. complete" Waller, Dryden
and Pope-aye even Spencer and
Ral"Iah, nabitually pronounced them
a. paz", say baste. complate" as all
students Of seventeenth and eighteenth
century poetry must have noticed
Dryden for example wrote:
Neptune. yet doubtful whom he
should obey.
Held TO them both the trident of the
sea.
Pope pronounced tea In the same
manner aS 1pperary peasant uoes.
One example. referring to Great
Anna, is well known: mere Is an
other:
Soft yielding minds to water glide
away
Ana sip, with nympns. the elemental
tea.
SO In Munster the country folk talk OF
the LAY meaning lea. that pretty
! word which Englishmen and Ameri-