Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-26
TELLING WHERE A MAN COMES FROM
You Are Betrayed by Your Sometimes 1t Reveals Street
You Live On-Peasant Pasmes of Detective of
Pecuarties in Speech
By WALTER PRICHARD EATON


D1OF. HIGGINS (what name for a heroD
J. in Shaw's play, "Pygmalion," enjoys
pleasant evening by telling various characters
whom he meets what section of London they
come from, reaching his conclusions solely
from their accents and infections. Prof. Hig-
gins isn't joke, either. "Phonetics" Is
enough of a science to be put already to prac-
tical use by the French police. The tongue,
like the thumb betrays. Have you ever tried
to train your ear to the differences in Amer
can speech, not only differences between
various sections of the country but between
parts of the same section even the same
city? 1t is fascinating pastime.
One of the most curious evolutions of
American speech is the so-called Bowery ac-
cent which the slums of New York are sup
posed to have produced, and to be producing
constantly from the American-born children
of foreign parents. This speech is peculiar
to New York in many recognizable ways and
yet, on the other hand, it has features which
appear to characterize the tough" dialect of
all cities. It's most Enthusiastically New
Yorkish feature is much the same as it was
a generation ago, when Ed Townsend wrote
his famous Chimmy Fadden stories. The COM
bination of either or G with the following
consonant T-as in girl or skirt or perfectly
Is it's leading variation. Coil is often used to
represent the curious fate which overtalSes
girl on the East Side, but matter of fact
1t does not correctly represent 1t. Perhaps the
German umlauted would come nearer-0oel
if you pronounce with your mouth a bit
crooked your nasal passages slightly closed,
and your throat CONSTRUCTED.
Indigenous American Accents
And yet the oldest part about this perver-
sion is that in reality 1t does not appear to be
the result of foreign dialects reacting on
English but to have been copied from the
native New Workers., much as the Southern
speech is in part at least an unconscious copy
of the negroes. 1t is common, with Varia-
tions which Prof Higgins could easily de-
tect, to Jews, Irish, Italians in the Bowery
districts; and 1t is common in a much less
nasal and pronounced degree, of course, to
the genuine native New Yorkers. BY that is
meant the men and women who were born
of Saxon stock in New York city and raised
in it's schools.
There are far fewer of such people than
you would guess. but those who are true New
Workers. (and Brooklyn is included here), un-
less they have made positive effort to over
come the trick almost invariably pronounce
their ir's and eT's with at least hint of this
odd perversion, no matter how gently reared
they are. 1t is common TO people of so years.
and to school girls, so 1t must have charac-
terized New York speech for at least three
generations I know school girl In Brook
lyn today whose speech in this respect is as
different from the accent say, of President
Eliot as cockney is from the speech of Lord
Rosehery. Yet she goes to a school where
there are none but children of native families.
of gentle blood. The source of the Bowery ae-
cent is evidently older than the flood of i'm
migration
Bawlh in Bathtub
The New York speech too. is almost in
variably characterized by the nat and the
exceptions to the rule are found in a certain
social set In the upper strata, so that If you
hear a peculiar kind of broad in sherry's
you can almost predict without turning
about the kind of little mustaehe the user
win be wearing. Even this stratum, however,
doesn't do very well with the broad a. re-
Gently heard a New York rector who read,
Dust to dust and aashes to aashes" The
true Bostonion, of course, says simply ashes.
1t reminds one OF the man in Ade's fable who
took bawth in the bathtub.
It is an open question whether the broad
OF the fiat Is going TO become the standard
OF American speech, II we ever have one
There can be no question but the broad a Is
far more musical. and In heightened dis
course far more eloquent "Graant, we be-
seech Thee" Is far nobler than Grant. we
beseech Thee" But already there seems to
be a strong tendency TO restrict the broad q
10 certain classes OF people even In sections
where it has hitherto prevailed Il Is stin al
most universal ia New England among the
native born. and whether a man comes nom
Rhtladelphla e washington ean often ha a.