New-York tribune., 1902-12-05
TIHE~AMURRICAN" UNMASKED
No LONGER A BRITISH SUPERSTITION,
But A LIVING FACT
NOTES ON MYTHICAL LANGUAGE BY
ONE WHO BELIEVES IT Is
NO MYTH.

To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: When those who have had no special
training undertake to discuss some matter
which requires training they sure 10 blum
der They stumble at every step, but the
strange thing is that such persons are gener-
ally quite sure that they are tripping along with
the elegance that makes thought beautiful Re
ferring 10 your article il Sundays ISSUE may
say Mr. Aldrich obviously does not know that
Maudlin (as Magdalen College is called) is sim
ply the Middle English representative Of the
Norman-French word, Of which the spelling has
been Latinized- Very cultured persons fight
shy of saying 'vitals' (Old French vitailles),
but svic-tu-als" of course, IS to them most
proper.
As TO "Amurricans." every philologist knows
that this pronunciation, and even 'Murricans,
prevails in many parts Of our big country espe-
cially in the Middle West. II is not a British
superstition" ] hear even New-Yorkers say
-'Amurricans' almost Tor is it ''most"O every
day Likewise ferry is furry ETC., etc AS
to guess" I can hardly imagine how the uni
ve-sal misuse OF this useful word can be denied.
professor Lounsbury justif1es American usage
by citing Chaucer) The Northerner says II
guess" meaning +I suppose 81 think; the
southerner says "I don't guess and thinks il
strange that people in the North should speak
80 Ill
NV observations OF American EngnSh nave
been made from New-york 70 San Francisco
and during a residence OF ten years at two Of
our great cosmopolitan universities. They have
LED me TO the conclusion that not one Anneri-
can in hundred speaks his English well
English is spoken by educated Englishnnen,
Scots even by the mixed race of Northern
Ireland Why not lay aside national vanity
and be fair? Let whoever believes that. the
whole, voices sweet and pure, in
most Of Europe, go night to act OF
play rendered by a purely American company.
then go TO Herr Conrieds German theatre or
70 a performance by English players. If this is
enough. let him take a trip abroad and
hearken 10 the notorious twang as it jars un-
beautifully in European streets. Europeans
believe. and rightly, that American English is
generally spoken with a strong nasal twang
Many thinking Americans also. including O.
w Holmes. honestly own UP to the twang
sometimes with hurnor. sometimes with little
heat
This is not the place cite the ten thou
sand absurdities registered in the two well
known dictionaries Of Americanisms. I may be
allowed however, TO set down three four of
the worst:
First-Not one American in five hundred in
Guiding school teachers and college professors
understands the fundamental differences be-
tween -can" and may" "shalF' and will 4"
Yet these words occur in every other sentence
almost. and they highly important
Second-The simple word yes is heard in
the United States once where ''ye," 'ye-up,"
yup." yeah" "eh-ah" and other variations
heard a dozen times The forms cited Gn
popular orthography) are not in the least lim-
lied 10 the less cultivated classes
Third-How regularly around" used and
abused when about is the nigh. verdi Thus: