New-York tribune., 1906-10-25
THE CHANGING FASHION.
English Spelling and Pronunciation
IN Former Times.

Mr.. Avary H. Forbes contributes to THE
Times Of London, letter setting forth what
are now considered vugarisms, but which were
once the well considered spelling and pronuncia-
ton OF cultivated people He does not think
that it has ever been sufficiently recognized that
in this matter of spelling and pronunciation the
rule everywhere in Great Britain is that ''the
masses Of the poor and ignorant are aristocratic
conservatives, while the cultured and educated
are the radical innovators" The older English
authors he points out, tried to spell phoneticaIIy
just unlettered rustics do to-day. The same
rule Of conservatism holds good as TO pronuncia-
ton. $50 emphaticaIly is this true that If our
literary forefathers of the fifteenth the six
teenth century We're TO come to life they
would be far better able to understand the
speech Of the ilterate poor than that of the ac-
complished savant. What we call vulgar pro-
nunciation ignorant provncialisms' are usu-
ally the purest forms OF old English pronuncia-
ton" Mr.. Forbes frames the following SEN
tences in "old classical English:
We had such sight of rain that the water In
the river ris 10 great hgHth; and being cfeared
and says to the maids in the kitchen. will You
pl1tge keep them chiider from 0Tasttng and leD6Hg
near the rivers edge? toude you tnat qfore, and
# any OF them gets drosnded, it won't be my fdut"
was in town since Monday, but he's back now, and
the childer won't be let play there no Eorc "Yis,
- and @ hard that he vent It to the neao % "a, a. Fqesdoy
What a took him there " and he SO d ' The COOK
was making some a0ayk tag. but she didn't me
she said, never sep wink all night He desarrcs
wondegyf ssgf tsaid d. the COOK "Tbere was 9rfbe1
performed on the STAGE it made the master uHai~y
sOepr so Sss % to 60 and d9 his c6der running Wild dare
say now he'd rGyther have stopt at home"
All these odd spellings and recommendations.
Mr.. Forbes says truly. vugarisms in
admissible in polite society yet every one of
the above italicized words is good and genuine
old English. and may be justified by an appeal
the best Of early classic writer's:
"a sight of"-This expression is used by Tyn-
dale in his translation Of the New Testament.
company OF angels he has "a sight Of angels
"Ris The price Of corn 'rls" last market
day." says archbishop Trench is in one sense
market day '-SEngIish Past ana Present" page
ighth As late 4i as the time Of Charles i this
sES1t snd as @ q SSSa "9yfS6S
Paradise Lost" l. !. "a And again, Thou oft
tenance and thy hand"-lbid., Samson Agonistes,'
:2feared ed"-'Eor sore afe4Ted Of his death
as hs Freneh f2ss ps s pro %os
by the m alogEg & Ensh al gS TGag p9e ia
Them. -. Put them things eway' is not bad
but only antiquated glish-'-Irench' English
@"9c%hdiIder."&'!The chfder pretty chlder."-
r,aTTnont and Fletcher, knight OF the Burning
Pestie cf Morris ElsmeiR55qTy ei53iy sf Lessons"
zane childre' 'childer children, and Children "
Wrastng wasting he would as have al
While two posons TFase M we eod2 nay 6a reJ en-
JoLls1m JoLl1,. SSNton, '.Tractate Education
Lep -"slep, "iep" 6et common IRl1,. old Eng
denGe, a9tse.T towld you what I hard say
+in3er 0tN Sermons before Edward Vi" Seventh
sermonl .. AS wrote you afore in few words
F;nbesians III, (Romens l. -
"Obleege."-
1'Tresdtng cen fools by fatterers besieged.
II % nblieing that he n'er obleeged."
Anu POPE prologue 20 the Satires,' 20l.
..r,,,,-aed "-'Eaten of beasts drownded in the
- ~ EsItnvsn "Plgripl's Progress"
sea ara,,t "H@yhen Samuel hard OF their faut he