Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-01-17
solecistlc English.

In the Democrat of April 0. 1909, you
protested against that abomination now
so frequently perpetrated, the double use
of the conjunction that as In the fol-
lowing sentence =: Prince Abilene
then said that, when he grasped Jerry's
hand the first time he was in the store,
that he got the impression where the
cigar was hidden" Almost every kind
of solecism is to be found In Shake.
speare's writings, and 1t is interesting to
know that an instance OF this solecism
of the duplication of the conjunction
"that" is to be found there. 1t is posi-.
BILE that there may be more than one
instance Of this solecism in the writings
Of Shakespeare, but I have noted only
one, that instance being as follows:
81 entreat you both
That being Of 80 young days brought up with
And since 40 ne,ghbor'd to his youth and humor.
That you vonchsafe your rest here In our court
Some little time" Hamlet, L. = H.
or course the fact that an instance OF
this duplication of the conjunction
that can be found 10 the works OF
Shakespeare does not render the locu-
ton any the less a solecism, for almost
every kind of solecism can be found In
his writings, as have said, and, II every
form of expression which he uses were
to be set down as proper on the strength
of his authority, it would he hard to find
a iocution which could be condemned as
faulty English. In the above-men-
toned article in the Democrat OF April
6, 1909, the solecistic use OF "like' for
''as" lat least in this part OF the country
this use of "ike" for "as" is, it must be
admitted, generally regarded as sole
cistic) is also reprobated, and 1t may be
added that, as in the case of the sole
CYSTIC repetition of the conjunction
''that" in Shakespeare's writings, this
solecistic use of like" for 'as" is also
to be found in his writings, as Is shown
in the following line:
"a nd vet no man ike he doth grieve my heart 1"
Romeo and Juliet, II, 5, g..
1t should be stated that, in this last
given passage, "like" is by some good
authorities regarded as proposition and
she" as standing for "him," being one
of many illustrations of Shakespeare's
disregard-as was common in his day
of the infections of pronouns, of which
disregard the following passages in his
writings furnish examples:
81 hope 1t be not gone to tell my lord
That / kiss aught but he."
Cymbeline, 1 8, l52.
(Which, of he or Adrian, fora good wager. first
begins to crow?"-The Tempest, l ! j, %.
1--WE are alone; here's none but thee and -
Henry VI, J., 2, 49,.
"All debts are clear'd between you and -
Merchant of Venice, ], =, 32l.
"You know my father hath no child but l."
AS You Like 1t, l., 2, Is.
"And hang more praise upon deceased /"
Sonnets ~.
"For nothing this wide universe call
Save thou, my rose."
"what stays hal but they?"
Richard III, II, 2, 49,
'The earth has swallow'd all my hopes but She"
Romeo and Juliet, l., ., H.
Apropos of Shakespeare's solecstic
duplication of the conjunction THAT"
it may be added that there are in his
writings several instances of the sole
CYSTIC duplication of propositions, which
CRATES more harshly on the ear than
does the duplication of the conjunction
that" Examples of this duplication
Of propositions by Shakespeare are to be
found in the following passages;
THAT fair for which love groan'd for and would
die" Romeo and Juliet H., !, g.
"But on US both did haggish age steal on"
Ais Well That Ends Well, l., 2, 20
"In what enormity lie Marcus poor in!"-
Coriolanus, II l, IT, "In al shapes that man
goes up and down In from fOurscore to thirteen,
this spirit walks in."-Timon Of Athens, l., 2
ll9 ITO what form but that he Is should VIZ
larded with malice, aud malice forced with w.t.
turn him to?"-Troilus and Cressida, vs. l, Is.
"Of what kind should this cock come Off"
AS You Like 1t, l., Z, SO
presents more woeful pageants than the scene
Wherein we play in"
As You Like 1t. l., I, 1888
1t is seen that in the last example one
of the two propositions has become
part of the adverb "wherein" equivalent
to ''in which". SEAwELL.