The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-21
SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION.
'~VuIEarIsms'' That We're Once Used In the
POIltest society.

SIN: I do not think it has ever been SUM-
clently recognized that In this matter OF
spelling and pronunciation the rule every
where IL that the masses OF the poor anc
ignorant are the aristocratic conservatives
while the cultured and educated are the radi-
cal innovators.
Our older authors tried TO spell phoneti-
cally. Just az unlettered rustiCs do to-day.
Archbishop Trench collected fifteen different
ways in which he found sudden" spelled
by our earlier writer's. That could not be
done from the writings OF our university
professors nowadays; but II could be done
from the letters of our workhOuse paupers.
The same rule holds good as TO ~pronuncia-
ton. which-like spelling. grammar. the
fashions-is always altering more or less
rapidly. Any one so years old and sum-
GENTLY observant could point to some more
or less distinctly marked variations In pro-
nunciation as having taken place within his
own experience. But the poor and ignorant
are far less affected bv such linguistic mOdi-
~fications than are the erudite and the scholarly.
So emphatically IL this true that II our liter
airy forefathers OF the fifteenth or the six
teenth century were to come to life now
they would be far better able TO understand
the speech Of the ~illiterate poor than that OF
the accomplished savant. What we call
vulgar" pronunciation or Ignorant pro-
vincialisms" are usually the purest forms Of
tN Atf3 NAh htA'h NV w u - N~
following sentences OF old classical English:
We had such a sight OF rain. that the water in the
river rs TO a great htOhth; and being dfsdred an
accident might happen. | went 10 Squire wilkins.
and says I 10 the maids in the kitchen. -Wil you
pidfse keep them chldcr from UrdStitnG and lep-
ping near the rivers edge I toUld you that afone,
and Id be obfeeOed to you II you'd mind what I
say. for II any Of them gets drocndsd, II won't
be my faUt.- -Whisht with your noise" says the
cook. The Squire was in town since Monday,
but he's bark now, and the childer won't be let
pay there no more" "YtS. ! see the Squire coming
back a. Thursddv." says !. "and hard that he went
TO the thedptre a Tuesday. Is that tTue?" "TrOth
It IS. well. I'm bet II know what took him there.
and he so deef." The cook was making some udvk
fdv. but she didn't are me to have any. The hdyt
was so great that the Squire. she said. never sIep
a wink all night. He desdrpes IT," says I. What
call had he to go?" Sure Il was wonderful said
the cook. There was a rnurther performed on
the stage: II made the master Undfsv 20 see how the
people rep" "He had no night rhdtsoHeper 10
20, and his chllder running wild. | daresay now
he'd rdvther have stopt at home"
I do not pretend that the above represents
any particular locality. Some of the pro-
nunciations are perhaps peculiar to one part
of the British Isles and others to some other
part. Some are very common in parts OF
Ireland; some in parts Of Scotland or Of Eng
land. But one and all. it will readily be con-
coded, are now vulgarisms, and were any one
10 speak thus in polite society he would at
once be stunned as a blatant vulRarian. Yet
every one of the above itali Cized words Is good
and genuine old English, and may be JUS
titled by an appeal to the best OF our early
classic writer's. Let us take these "vul-
garisms" scridiim:
"A sight Of" This expression Is used by Tyndale
In his translation Of the New Testament. Where
the Authorized Version has IAN innumerable com
pany Of angels" he has "a sight OF ~angels"-Heb.
GlI. %.
"Rls"-"The price Of corn 'nS' last market day
says Archbishop Trench, rs In one sense quite as
good English as the price Of corn rose last market
day "-"English Past and Present" p. 100.
"Highth. AS late as the time OF Charles II. this
word was In use, THAT. TO the highth OF this great
argument, I may assert Eternal Providence, and
Justify the ways Of God 10 men "-Mlltoh, Para
disc Lost" l., l. "a, And again, Thou oft amidst
their hlghth OF noon chhngcst thy colntenance and
thy hand. ibid, Samson Agonlstes." I. 49,.
"Afeared. "-"For sore aieared OF his death was
he. "-Chaucer. Knights Tale" l. 600.
"PIaize."-"lt is tolcrably plain that please was
pronounced as the French 'plaise.' as It sim is pro
nounced by the majority Of English people Earle.
"Phllology OF the English Tongue" p. i75.
Them. -" Put them things away is not bad,
but only antiquated English" -Trench English
Past and Present" p. 100.
"Chuder"-"The chider are pretty chllder.-
beaumont and Fletcher, knight Of the Burning
Pcstlc," l.. :. cE Morris, Elementary Lessons"
p. ~. The oldest plural was 'clldru.' which be-
came 'childrc,' 'chllder,' children and children"
"Wrastling At wrastling he would have Away
the ram."-ChAucer, Prologue" l. 54s. That.
while two poisons wrastle. we may leave."-Bcn
Jonson. "SeIanus," TIT. AN locks and gripes Of
w~rastllng. Milton. "Tractate on Education"
"Lep."-"Slep." "Iep," bet" common old Eng
lIsh past ienses.-(See Morrls's English Accidence,"
p. 1917
"TowId."-"I towld you what ! hard say."-Lati-
mer. Sermons before Edward vi" Seventh
sermonD
"Afore."-"As I wrote you afore In few words
-Epheslsns ILL.,. 3 Fomsns L.. -
"Obleege."-
"Dreading cen fools, by nstterers besIesed.
And so oblIging that he nc'er obleeged,"
Pope, Prologue 10 the Satres." 207.
"Drownded. "-"Eaten OF beasts. drownded In the
sea "-Bunyan." PILGRIMS Progress"
"Faut."-When Samuel hard OF their faut he
went about 10 excuse their autes"-Latim Ser
mons before Edward VI" (Fi'th sermonl
"Nhisht."-"And when they perceived that Sol
ONION. by the advice Of his father, was annolnted
King, by and by there was all whlsht; all their good
cheer was done."-Latlmer. Ibid. Second sermonJ
"Won'tbe . . no morc"-The double mega
tive Is common In old English-ef. There mas no
dore that he mold hcve OF barre CThere was not
no door that he would not heave on Its hinges
-ChauceT's Prologue"
"Yls."-"How that yet he should hear all this
or they espy hit. % yis. yis'"
-Chaucer, House OF Fame" H., |. 1877.
"Sce" Qor saw
"For by the none she sleigh hit vel with allie"
-Chaucer, Legend OF Good Women" H., lO7.
"a Thursday. - mum be married a Sunday
-Udall. Ralph Royster Doyster." w.. g.
"Hard.--So I did not afirm It 10 be true. yet I
hard" II hard say since OF another murder"
-Latimer (nfth sermon.
"TheAytre."-
AND forth issued, as on the ready floor
OF some thcAytre, a grave parsonage"
-Spenser. "FSsry Queen" III, 1:.
"Troth."-"Troth both. BEN JOnson, "Sotanus,-
III.
"Bct."--Old simple form" CSec -lep.-D
"~Decf."-"But she was somdel def. and that was
skathe. "-Chaucer. Prologue" 40.
"waykc."-"And wayke ben the oxen in my
pillow ."~Chauccr, knights Tale" 20.
"Tay."-
And thou, great Anna. whom three realms obey.
Do st sometimes counsel take. and sometimes tay."
Pope. Rape OF the Lock-"
"Axe."-"You lovers axe I now this question"
-Chaucer. knights Tale" l. 4s9.
"Hayt."-"In 1.-THE Earl of Surrey we ind heat
rhymes with great. and no doIbt II was a true
rhyme. Surrey pronounced heat as the majority
OF our/countrymen-at least in the west country
still do-viz. as hayt."-Earie, "Philology OF the
English Tongue" p. l7S.
"~Slep."-"Three days slep he al on on. "-"oI