Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-05-27
General Poverty, Of Language.
ONLY A FEW HUNDRED WORDS COB
RECTLY USED.

The majority of Intelligent people pos
sessipg what 10 called good education
currently use only few hundred ont OF
the 60, 900, or 81, 900 words that an ordi'
nary desk dictionary of the English Ian
guage contains. It seems that wv OF
400 words suffice to express the meanings
intended to be conveyed by most OF tho
letters that 20 through the mails.
II you listen to IN ordinary converse.
ton You will quickly be convinced that
the Same poverty OF expression pre-
walls In the oral employ OF language.
In this case 1t 10 not 80 easy to get the
figures a. In that Of writing, and here
the photograph might be great aid 70
any one who wished to discover the real
facts about tho unemployment Of the
English language by the inheritors OF
it's riches.
A few photographs placed In business
offices, clubs, public schools and place:
of social assemblage would quickly tell
tho story, and It 10 certain that that
story would not be q creditable one.
Set phrases, including the same words,
are used over and over by almost every
body. The thought, such e Il ID, 10
merely sketched in bare outline. The
fewest possible strokes are used, With
almost no shading. Conversation often
becomes 9 kind Of guessing match, and
different meanings may be read Into .
speakers words by different listeners.
WEALTH OF LANGUAGE.
The immense wealth of the language
| lies fallow as far as the ordinary person
is concerned. He knew the meaning OF
thousands of words when he sees them
| In print or hears them from some master
of speech, but they do not form part
of bis own mental equipment, and ne
does not have them under control, ready
to serve him at any moment.
The result painfully apparent when
ever tho average man undertakes to
present q new thought, or when be
wishes to be particularly explicit With
regard to some statement. he cannot
find the words to say what he wants to
say. His tongue is tied, and he presents
his thought 10 so laundering and frag-
mentary a form that he himself loses his
grasp upon it and bis mind goes wonder
ing.
And yet he really knows the words
that could express his meaning when ne
sees or hears them. If some bystande'
puts needed word into his mouth he
seizes 1t with eagerness, but the next
instant he IL as much at sea az ever, be-
cause he has no command over the Ian.
pusee az q whole. He has only learned
a few common words and fixed expires
sions like . parrot. The chances are
that never in his life has he meditateo
upon the meaning of word or traced
its origin, or learned to distinguish u
from others having similar, but mol
precisely the same, Significance. Ian
Ieuage for him Is q mere haphaxarG
means of conveying his thoughts with
ont any fullness or precision.
| THE SCHOOLS TO BLAME.
The schools are largely to blame To-
this. In school the child 10 taught Il
spell and pronounce . great number o.
words which 1t is never required to use
The consequence IL that these words sp
pear to the learner to be . Language
apart from every day life, Language
belonging only to books.
The utilization of the words acquired
should be by speaking them in the mos
natural way possible. The teacher
should make point Of employing, In al
off hand way, in conversation with th'
class the words which they have beef
studying. The children should be LEI
inseusibly to use new words 10 thei
play and during their Outof.schoo
hours. Here, of course, perents can ait
immensely, but first they must them
selves master wide range OF verbal OK
pressions.
Mere reading will not give this read!
mastery. A word must be acquired b!
the organs of speech as we'll IS BY th'
mind. Unless the lips and the tongue
are accustomed to pronounce 1t, 1t vii
not come promptly when wanted.
| Words are tools, and they cannot b.
effectively employed unless the bodil!
organs that have to handle them ar
trained to their use. One Of the bes
rules that have ever heard for the &C
quirement of facility of speech 10 t
j, mako use, by oral expression, OF ever
new word you learn, at the very first op
portunity, and to continue to use 1t unti
it springs of itself upon your lips whel
, the thought that 1t expresses comes int
your mind.