The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-01-12
SHALL you TEACHi


The opening article in the October
number of "The English Journap' is
"Our Pragmatic Language" by w. p.
Reeves. 1t is an intensely interest
ing discussion of Spoken English, of
its origin, and of its place in the
world today. | had never realized be-
fore reading this article just how inn
portant the English language really
is and just how little attention we.
the people at large, pay to Spoken
English. M
The first paragraph surprised me
in saying, "Overlaid with more for
eign words than any living tongue
English has strengthened the accent
of her forest ancestors, and sooner or
later pounds hard on the first element
of a word; amateur becomes amateur,
etc. 1t went on to tell how these
words, created by the great mass Of
people finally become those of the
dictionaries.
1t is said that the youth of America
speak their language with less con-
fidence than the youth Of other coun-
tries. And, strange to say, this
blame is not laid at the foot of the
American youth, himself, but it is to
be credited to those teachers and
writer's who are unaware that the
spoken idiom may be more Correct"
than the artificial book, English that
no one ever spoke. "Every genera
ton needs its Steeles and Fieldings to
bring back to written English the
vitality of the spoken word" For no
language will continue to be read as
literature that ignores persistent
habits Of the yernacular. sg
1t has been noticed in this country
that, although English is, the mercan-
tile language of the entire civilized
world, a study of our mother tongue
lis one Of the last things to be taken
up by students in colleges today. A
sound mastery Of his native language
should be the first thing the college
student wishes to accomplish.
| English has so long been appro-
lpriating foreign words that at present
i it's enormous vocabulary is more
cosmopolitan than any other. And
barring its spelling, English is the
simplest cultivated language now
spoken. Between the vulgarized level
/ ing of rich dipthongs by some Amer
icans-dalm tain for down form
and the musical vocalism Of the best
English actors, there is happy med
ium that q foreigner may command
without serious difficulty.
i think it would profit any one ia
read this article, for we do not realize
until we read something of this sort
how we do butcher" our own langu-
age.
The next article is "Oral English as
means of Specialization" by Edith
Rodkey. This is written more for the
benefit of high school English teachers
than for anyone else, although il
also makes us realize the need of q
masterful knowledge of Spoken Eng
fish.
A very interesting topic "Socializ-
| ing Dramatics" by Margaret Skin.
ner is next on the program. It takes
up dramatics in the average high
school today and shows how they may
be made more interesting and come tc
really mean something in the lives OF
the pupils.
The idea developed is to give the
pupil the part that he needs most in
a play. Instead Of assigning the
heroine's part to a girl of poise and
polish, who is naturally always al
ease, this part would be given to ar
awkward, III at ease girl. For is moi
she the one who really needs the adj
yantages such an experience would
give her?
At the conclusion Of this article
Miss Skinner says "We are all social.
izing our class room procedure; are
emphasizing less and less the acquir-
ing of information and more anc
more the development Of individuals
trained to estimate their own powers
and limitations. We have at hand, il
I'VE but choose to use it, force Of
stupendous value in all Of these dir.
ections educational dramatics.v
Mabel Mckee in Three Examples
of Motivation" shows Us how tn,
high school theme may be made mor'
valuable and interesting to the class
i | found the Round Table discussion