New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-22
THE COCKNEY
AS A CASE OF PHONETICS


II will be we'll to reply 10 doubts
which some may feel as to the posi-
bility of ones distinguishing slight
differences in dialect, as Higgins does
in the opening scene. The scene rep
resents the portico of st. PauPs at
1915 Of rainy night. Among those
who have taken refuge from the rain
is diligent note taker, who is none
other than the enthusiastic phoneti-
clan, Higgins. The animated group
ends by noticing Higgins, takes him
FORE spy or a detective and acts
threateningly toward him. With just
a touch OF the bravado of CyranO in
Act |, Scene " of "Cyrano de Ber-
gerac," Higgins turns 10 each person
who addresses him. To the flower girl
he says, "You were born in Lisson
Grove; to the bystander, "And how
are all your people down at Selsey ?";
10 the sarcastic bystander, who has
inquired if he knows where he, the
sarcastic bystander, comes from, he
replies correctly, "Hoxton." Is. this
thing possible? We can, OF course,
all tell an Irishman from an English
man and both from an American. We
can generally distinguish New Eng
lander from Southerner or from a
Nesterner. But are finer distinctions
possible? Could VIC say unerrlngly 10
one person, "You come from Arkan-
sas"; to another, "You are from
Maine; to third. "You are from
Ohio? Yes; this thing is possible.
The French police have long had de-
tectives who could locate" almost
without error hundreds of suspects
simply from listening to them. Liter
airy evidence of this fact will be found
in some Of the novels which served
Conan Doyle as models. Words are
winged creatures, aud they fly back
home like pigeons.
| venture to draw attention to the
fact that no faint of snobbishness at
taches to our flower girl. Whether Shaw
WAS aware of the danger beneath his
path or not | do not know, but it was
there. II is we'll known that in the
Western states to speak more accu-
ratcly. west of the Hudson such words
as east" past" path" grant" and
advantage are pronounced with zap
proXimately) the vowel of "patter,"
whereas in New England and in the So
called polite dialect of London the
vowel is pronounced much as Is the
first vowel of father" in the current
American pronunciation. Allow me to
add, by way of parenthesis, that at least
three-fourths of the English speaking
population Of the City of New York use
the western" vowel, as do the great
majority of Americans. From the
standpoint OF national usage the vowel
OF "patter" requires no defence. IL will
probably triumph, whatever we'll mean
ing photographers Coming most OF
them from New England) may say or
do. Now. when an adult "Westerner"
removes to some such centre as Boston
or New York and is found. few years
later 20 have replaced his native vowel
chat Of "patter") by the vowel OF
father" his old friends put him down
as prig. venture the statement that.
while one may not of course call ali
who do this prigs, one may safely say
that all who are prigs do it supposing.
to be sure, that they can.
Shaw has, then, accomplished a real
achievement in presenting to us a man
ufactured duchess. who, linguisticallv.
leaves no impression OF snobbishness.
This feat is all the more remarkable
because, IN accordance with the authors
aversion TO sentimentality, the heroine's
utterances about her former associates
do not indicate love and loyalty. She
makes on US from first TO last a great
impression OF sincerity, and we believe
her when she says, toward the close of
the play: Il only want TO be natural"
have been asked whether il is pos
sible for phonetician to reform, as
Shaw has indicated, the vicious speech
of a person OF ELIAS age and station.
Yes, provided, of course, that both the
teacher and subject possess unusual
talent and zeal.