The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-03
THE SLANG FOUNDRY.
HOW ODD But EXPRESSIVE
PHRASES ARE COINED.

PhiIO1Ogists Say English Tongue
Would Rapidly Die without 1t.
Best Phrases Originate On Farm
or Ranch.
From the Chicago Times.
The London Society of Amateur Philolo-
gists, the members of which are devoted
to the study of language, has gravely
decided that If 1t were not for the addi-
tons made from time to time by Ameri-
cans. English would have to be classed
as a dead or at least as a rapidly dying
language.
From this country however, come SO
many apt and novel phrases which are
incorporated into the body of the Eng
lish tongue that it is still live and grow
ing. And both in the United States and
abroad students are beginning to recog-
nize the Importance and the value Of
words and phrases which start as slang
and because they wildly describe some
prevailing condition, gradually find their
way into the standard dictionaries.
The English society mourns because
almost all the slang which . is found
worthy of permanent adoption originates
IN the states" But 1t is proud of the
tact that in England has originated at
least one popular phrase which has not
found its way into this country. and
which, If one may venture an opinion.
Is never likely to do so. The new English
phrase is "twencent," and 1t is used to
describe anything which is extremely
up TO GATE: 1t is, of course, an alb
preVlauon or twentieth century. and in
the English eye is a remarkable example
| OF condemnation and wit
But the philoogists of London and
| American authorities agree in the opin
ION mat comparatively little slang Of the
sort whlch endures and becomes part Of
tne language originates in large cities
| Nor Is 1t used first by educated and re-
nhed people. The so-called educated
classes add little to a language except
some suited words which are borrowed
| from the classics, or scientific terms
which are also likely to be derived from
one OF the dead languages. 1t Is the
men on the farm, on Western ranches.
| III goid and silver mines and In other
similar occupations who give the Ian
gauge Its vitality and growth.
Thus the men who pack mules and
horses for the trail over the mountains
and plains of the great West put a tight
| before
| general public began to talk Familiarity
OF getting a cinch" on any proposition
IN which it was interested The lumber
men In the great woods of Wisconsin
| ana the Northwest piled up many millions
OF logs in booms and watched the logs
! go tearing down the swift little rivers
| atter the boom was busted for many
years before the stock brokers and real
estate agents adopted their phraseology.
|
not know what a boom" is and what is
likely to happen when a boom is bust
| ed"
Speaking broadly there are two kinds
Of slang. One depends for it's popularity
on the mere fact that the phrase is
mouth-fillng and pleases the popular
fancy. Such slang is likely to have only
a temporary popularity. The slang which
| lives and which sooner or later becomes
a permanent part of the language is that
which really means something, which de-
| scrtbes some act or condition in a new
| and vivid way. There are many people
who are greatly impressed by the sound
| OF any phrase, the meaning of which
they do not understand. 1t was this feel
ing which proved so effective when DR..
Samuel Johnson was vocally attacked by
one of the famous fishwives of Billings
| gate. Dr. Johnson knew that II would
/
in kind, even II he had been willing to
lower his dignity to that extent At the
same time he did not wish to listen to
more of her abuse. Accordingly he pointed
| the finger of scorn at her and exclaimed
In voice of Indignation and contempt:
Madam, you are an isoscees triangle. a
parallelopipedom. an octagonal rhomboid.'
| The fshwife was totally overcome and
was unable to answer the doctors scath-
| decentralization n lie NOT al
that the use OF mathematical terms has
ever become popular in the vocabulary
of Billingsgate.
Another kind of slang which has
merely temporary popularity is that which
exaggerates an already slang expression
and carries II beyond the point Of alb
surdity. Two street arabs, for instance,
may be quarrelng in the gutter.
VIVIAN, says the first; you've got
wheel In we're head"
Rats" says the other. "Yere nut is
| a reg'ler bicycle factory"
Most people know what is meant when
a man is said to have "a wheel In his
head" but the bicycle factory Joke car
ries 1t point beyond permanent appre-
| citation.
The only class of highly educated people
who contribute TO any extent to the
| growth of the language is the college
Il
has been so generally adopted that
| dictionary has been issued which Is en-
| trely devoted to the subject.
From terms originally used in college
games the language has adopted many
useful phrases 1t is not many years since
the first curved bail was pitched in a.
baseball game and yet the current phrase
II am onto his curves has a meaning
entirely without connection with the
baseball diamond. From the field sports
of collegians have come the phrases to
Jump on" "A man and Jump on him
with both feet" Even the great Arneri-
can game Of draw poker, which will not
be claimed as college game. has added
several common phrases to the language.
Many a man who has never tried to
''nll two pair has called a bluff" or
declared that he would Ego II blind"
1t was a farmers boy who had touched
his tongue to the iron pump handle on
belowtzero morning who discovered
that ito freeze to- person expressed
strong degree Of attachment.
Almost every business and profession
has given the most picturesque words in
its particular vocabulary TO enrich the
language. From the Stock Exchange, for
instance. come bulls" and bears" q
corner" and margin" though these
words were originally borrowed and given
new meaning by the stock brokers.
From the stage has come another whole
set OF words words which are now in