Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-10-16
: English language is at all properly
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Is English language is at all properly
A spoken or written in the United
States, and they have at times been dis
posed to be a trifle facetious with reference
to "the American language" Notwith-
standing this fact, and the general ten
dency to drift further apart, not only in
pronunciation, but in grammar and vocabu-
larry, there remains, of course, certain ex-
change of words between the two countries.
The British borrow, now and then, few
of our slang words. and we ourselves occa-
sionally appropriate such word as haber-
dasher or the expression week end; but
such exchanges are by no means numerous,
and each years crop of new differences tends
to be greater than the corresponding crop Of
borrowings.
Such English words as subaltern, don
porridge, moor, draper, treacle. tram and
multi are still strangers to the American
vocabulary despite their widespread use in
England Then too such commonplace
American words as bleachers, doughnut
picayune, campus, chore. stogie and hoodoo
are still unintelligible to the vast majority
Of Britishers.
A subaltern is commissioned officer In
the army under the rank of captain. A don
Is any college dignitary. from fellow to prin-
cipaL. Porridge, moor, draper, treacie and
tram, though unfamiliar, still need no sx-
PLANTATION.
Multi means ordinary male clothing; an
army officer out Of uniform is said to be in
multi To this officer sack suit or bust
ness suit is lounge suit. A derby hat is a
bowler He carries his clothes, not In a
trunk, but In box. He does not miss
train; he loses 1t. He does not ask for a
round-trip ticket, but for a return ticket
If he proposes to go to the theatre, he does
not reserve or engage tickets, he books
them. If he sits downstairs. 1t is not in the
orchestra, but In the stalls. If he likes
vaudeville he goes to music hall, where
the headliners are topliners.
How the English Differ From Us
In Use of gentleman" and Lady"
The Englishman is very careful to re-
strict his application Of gentleman to men
who are of a considerable social dignity
Thus a shopkeeper or clerk can never be
a gentleman, and the qualifications of a
physician, an author, or a musical conductor
must be established. But he is strangely
careless in his use of lady He speaks
slibly of lady clerks, lady typists and lady
doctors.
Our own disposition TO use the WORD less
and less, as revealed by the substitution of
saleswoman for the saleslady Of yesterday,
has no counterpart in England. There
saleswoman is still a lady shop assistant,
and lady is invariably used in such COM
pounds as lady golfer, lady secretary, lady
companion and lady champion. The women's
singles. in English tennis. are always ladies'
singles; women's wear, in English shops, is
always ladies' wear.
But this is one OF the few euphemisms
that the Englishman permits himself habit
TALLY to employ. His speech, as a rule Is
far more straightforward than that of the
American. Thus, he knows nothing about
help: he always calls those who work for
him servants. He never uses the French
employee In place Of clerk workman or
laborer. though, strangely enough, he does
often use the French con,n,tssionnatre for