The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-09
UNITED STATES ENGLISH.
A New Dictionary Suggested for the
American Language.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuS-Str! Mr..
Frank II. Vizetcily's account OF Or.
Murray's great work, the work that like
a great deal Of tho endeavor OF man
was left for others to finish. interested
me because II Is certain that for our
selves a perhaps greater task must he
undertaken by an American or q group
Of Americans.
The oxford Dictionary Is a history
OF tho words OF the English Language
traced back to their sources in England
or. at least. In Great Britain. While
this knowledge, II may be argued. has
for us a degree OF academic value. per-
haps one should say a certain philolosic
interest. 1t Is too e%nraptured Of the Eng
lish point OF view to be In any sense
final. for us at least. The history and
the definitions are brought up, sharply
enough of course. to date. but II Is an
English. rather a British date. already
for us. its ink scarce dry, in the dark
backward and abysm OF time.
The English have their language and
literature. of course 1t is theirs at this
moment they are lighting to preserve
IL. In Flanders and In northern France
they are entitled, we admit. to their
dictionary compiled as they may see nj,
We have. at various times and for
various reasons found fault with the
English the sum OF their inerrancies
no man. no woman. not even an Ameri-
can woman. can number. but we have
never wrested from them their Ian
guage, except as a convenient and GUS
tomary means of intercourse, we having
no language OF our own.
In using their language we have ac-
cumulated thousands OF distinctive
shades Of meaning. peculiar to our
selves, that are unknown to British
photographers and have mainly been
overlooked by our own 1t has been
pointed out that the classics cannot he
exactly translated into English because
our words are only equivalents and ma
not have. at least may not convey. tho
same meaning. Thu Greek verb and tho
Latin verb that we translate ito love.
for instance, differed perhaps In mean
ing from each other and neither meant
exactly what We mean. In the Sams
manner English words have suffered a
diminution or an addition IN the course
Of our usage. 20 that In a sense We ma
be remaking the English language into
our very own
We have, as President Wilson has
pointed out, no race % IN rdcIal
tendency we are as free as birds. or
maybe "A better smile. goats, from
whom every one knows We get the wore
'capricious' There Is no doubt that
this mixture that We are has had "A vital
effect on the English language las she
Ii spoke and writ" by us. The main
forces that have most effected the
change In the mfari.g of words we have
taken from the English have been Ger
man and Jewish. That we have been n
little ashamed OF these influences On OUT
speech and writings. and necessarily In
our thinking, is not altogether TO our
credit it Is doubtless mainly because
we have depended too much on British
tradition. We knew that there vas a
change. but the residuun of insular
prejudice that We. alas. inherited has 81
far led us rather to resent than TO well
come this change.
The welcome. | believe. should no
longer he denied. We need, therefore.
some American Murray, or some group
OF Americans, including. besides tn,
presidents OF our leadtns universities
representatives. OF the various nation
that we very evidently have not at all
under present conditions assimilated.
who will devote ten or twenty Years. or
whatever time may b. necessary. TO for
mulating a dictionary of what may still
have to be called the English language,
but with a difference. o. ;. i.
ItTTsBuRG, Pa. August s.