Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-06-02
MOTHER TONGUE.
Comparison of English Spoken in England
and in America.

The shafts launched at Mr.. Henry
james yesterday during a meeting of the
Modern Language Association of Amer
lea at Haverford college, were baahIi
with wit and not a little justice. They
do not, nevertheless, destroy the unfor-
tunate vitality of the contention that the
speech of Americans is inferior to that
of Englshmen.
1t is not a matter Of the comparative
merits of the differing English and
American standards. in the particular
tiles of usage our own rule is as fire.
quently as not to be preferred. Differ
ent from" is as good as different to-"
in accord with" as in accord to- ''un-
der the circumstances" as lin the cir
cumStanceS, 'a5 soon as he came, as
directly he caTae.' The Englishman's
failure to distinguish in pronunciation
between the verb and the noun pro
phecy" is lamentable; his hard genesis"
and his soft schedule" are, to our ear,
an inversion of propriety, and his enmity
toward the Italian in figure" is Il M
tional horror. We may say ''vaniller,
but we couldn't possibly be guilty of
"tigger."
But the speech of England is immeas-
urably superior to that of America
gentlemen of the Mode:1 Language asso-
citation will not deny tin this-namely
that whereas Americans, even educated
Americans, are careless in both grammar
and pronunciation, slip-shod, easy-going,
and prone to every coloquial short cut,
the vast majority of Englishmen speak
with precision, according to a well-es-
tablished national standard.
The meat of the matter is in the fact
that we of America have no pride III or
care for correctness of speech. We
1,.s.a s,,lo I.
ton or culture from the manner in which
he speaks. We are not surprised to find
the same verbal faults upon the lips Of
college presidents. men of letters or of
affairs that we have heard from the I'M
taught. There even fingers among us a
suspicion of too great elegance of speech
as II heartlnesS and vigor could not com
port with refinement. And so we 20 on
torturing all foreign ears and wronginr
our own souls with the drawl. the SUR.
the clipped syllable, the tlatteucd vowel,
the strldent voice and slovenly enuncia-
ton. We Snub our labials, we torture
our midsyllables and we massacre orr
vowels, until in cur homes. streets and
even lecture halls. churches and theaters.
the stately tongue of Shakespeare and
well-nigh infamous.
In England how different is the ease
mere ms manner of speech is an index
OF 4 mans education. OF the unletterod
ilitIe may be expected, but in the grad
uate or IN the man or woman of resDert
able breeding a verbal fault is social
CRIME. CarelesSness is not excused
NlSor Is not held to be thing opposed
To accuracy, or power to be necessarily
uhcouth; on the contrary. clear heod
Is expected to express itself in correct
sentences, cieaniy enunciated 1t is ex-
ptcIed to do 50. and it does soto the
pleasure Of the listening ear the delight
81 tue answering mind and the promotion
efficiency.
10 establish the same happy conditions
N America it would be necessary onlv
Tor the educated TO persuade themselves
of the de>irability Of currect utterance
ana III particular for all such organiza,
lions as the Modern Language asSoria-
non 10 rehuke at every opportunity sucb
pomrieSS pe,tifogging pleas as thar which
formed the climax of one delegates ad-
9feSS; Power is more tSicl to be pre-
ierrGd than (sicl mere breeding "-Plila.
doIphia Ledger, '''"