Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-12-07
THE LANGUAGE OF AMERICA
By Prof Ned p. Warren.

! ~ "a.
BY Prof. Ned B. Warren.
Among the habits developed by hu-
man beings none is SO elaborate as
language; none is so intimately re-
lated to thought. 1t is the distinguish
ing characteristic between Greek
and barbarian, between Hebrew and
Gentle, In more emphatic degree, it
| is a work of distinction between man
and his nearest relatives in the ami
NAL kingdom. In the thinking of
most people, language is product
or expression Of mans higher intelli-
gence.
But it is more than a product of
thought; it is the instrument which
makes thought possible The ad-
vance which human language makes
beyond animal communication con-
sists in the fact that human language
relates sounds to ideas as we'll as to
emotional attitudes, Even when we
think about our most direct expert
ences we use words. And yet these
words are meaningless except when
we assume processes for evolving
ideals as the necessary conditions for
their development and interpreta-
| ton.
Within our own memories Lam
guage has undergone changes and
developments which have been so
natural and SO definite in their char
acter that it seems probable that Ian
guage has always been evolving just
as it is at the present time.
We may liken its growth to that
of persons vocabulary. The infant
does not utter sounds from any con-
seious desire to communicate its feel
ling to those about it, nor in an at
tempt at verbal discussion of its
conscious experiences. 1t makes
Noises just as it swings its arms and
1leg, because the muscular contrac-
ton which produce these noises are
instructive motor. expressions. So
was the beginning of language
Later there appears tendency to
initiate others and the infant develops
a kind bof communication similar to
that which we find in animals. An
animal can induce other animals to
fear and flight by means of cries
which. in the history of each member
of the flock have been associated
with fear. But there is yet no lam
guage. The child grows and begins
to associate the words it hears with
! the objects about it, and later it at
tempts to use these words itself. The
efforts are at first unintelligible,
but constant imitation of the nurse
and parents enables it to gain con-
troll of it's vocal organs and finally
use few words in more or less
connected sense. Then it has vo-
cabulary which increases from day
TO day
Centuries were probably requir-
led for primitive man to develop a
crude language, but once the begin
ming was made, the growth was rapid
end continuous, even as ideas have
originated and expanded. This
| tgrpwth is. a feature of language
which demands care.
| Ever since the English language
began we have plundered every other
tongue for words to express our
meaning. As we have it today, it's
partial compound of German and
Latin with such additions as most of
our scientific nomenclature from TIL,
Greek, our musical vocabulary large
/ ly from the Italian, our French terms
of dress and cooking, and those words
J we have learned from the North
Amerian Indians. Illustrations Of
words taken from every language
could be found. The language Of
America is indeed typical of its peo.
pie.
! Language molds the thoughts Of
those who speak it and a diversity
Of language means a diversity of in.
terests.
The recent war showed US clearly
the need of common language
throughout the nation. Orientals on
the Pacific coast, Mexicans in the
border states, Germans, Swedes, Rus
SLAMS, Italians and whatnot in the
/ East and Middle West should be
taught to speak and write English.
Not until VIC can talk to them in
our own language can we prevail
upon them to be real Americans with
American sympathies, hopes and
| ideals.
In the hurry and bustle of the du-
ties of life, we have fallen into care
less and slovenly habits of speech.
AS cne writer says: Strange how
careful people are about dress
how sure that dignity and good taste
in dress help to make ones success
in getting on in the world--and at
the same time how careless these
same people are about speech, which
is the dress of the mind" Most of
us take readily to slang. 1t is very
true that slang expressions often
lcreep into the dictionaries and are