New-York tribune., 1919-10-18
AS They Think We Talk
American Slang In Novels and Plays
of English Authors Strangely Unfamiliar

difficulty in controlling his impulse to
use high-pitched nasal drone and in
dulge in dry 'Americanisms' and poker
metaphors upon all OCCASIONS"
But Mr.. Wells has done much worse
IN The Passionate Friends" and still
by no means approached the ineptitude
OF John Galsworthy in reproducing
the American language. We find it
hard indeed to recognize our country
man in The Little Man" when he re-
marks that somebody seems "kind of
skeery" and still more so when he
speaks of "a vurry sacred opportunity
Mr.. Galsworthy has visited us more
than once. OF course, his opportunities
to learn our language at its primitive
best has been somewhat handicapped
by the fact that he has hung about
with the Drama League gang and at
tended college commencements and
sitting on the world while in such
company, but when it comes to learn
ing the native idiom Mr.. Galsworthy
is out of luck. We will say he is.
In one respect Ga1sworthy departs
from British tradition. He does not
so by the usual English rule that in
order to write American dialect it is
chiefly ;. necessary to SUBSTITUTE,
Galsworthy is more advanced than that.
He reckons that we "guess." Now and
field as to his intent as in the phrase
"a flash of beer" which he assigns to
the American in his play. 1t is evi
dent that the phrase is used for "a
glass of beer" but we are curious to
know in what part Of the United States
"a fash" is used. Of course. the point
has grown academic, but we were q
philologist before we were an anti
prohibitionist.
Which serves to remind us that since
the Atlantic Ocean and the Eighteenth
(geographic) land and Gilbert X.
Chesterton it is PERHAPS little unfair
to hold him overstrictly to account
ability for Morris Carleton, the young
American in "Magic" Morris reckons
and guesses both. When excited he
wants to know who has had the ''tarna-
tion coolness" to do something or
other. He frames such sentences as 81
guess l wish we had all the old appa-
ratus of all the old priests and
prophets since the beginning of the
world" And then he continues, ~
guess most of the old miracles and
that were a matter of just panel and
wires" And in every other sentence
throughout the scene there pops up
guess" to preserve the American
flavor.
When Morris isn't guessing he is
saying "Well, you may just smile how
you choose, | reckon" But perhaps
his most mastery line occurs in the
scene in which the Conjuror .taunts
him, whereupon cur young American
exclaims Il am not schoolboy, Pro-
fessor. I am a quiet business man.
But tell you, in the country | come
from. the hand of a quiet business man
goes to his hip pocket at an insult like
that" And in stage directions we read
puts his hand to his hip" where, as
everybody knows, the average Ameri-
can carries his Colt.
Fortunately, peace is established
when Morris says, 81 reckon III have
to bury the blamed old hatchet, too"
And soon he is in a mellow enough
mood to remark. wal. the Dukes real
amiable" Unfortunately, this mood
passes. and soon Morris is speaking
excitedly about "the derned dirty
Spiritualists."
Since the league of nations has as
yet manifested no disposition to afford
American slang any protection from
English authors, probably there is
nothing for us to do but grin and
say "Wal, just reckon We'll have to
stand it,