New Britain herald., 1927-05-16
SLANG AND THE LANGUAGE

ouc Ot tlle pTOInllleUl UlenlOTS Ol the American language has arisen 10 remark that there are entirely too many slang phrases in current circulation; that colloquialisms abound on every hand, even in cir cle where the niceties of language should be cultivated: that grammar is becoming a lost art. etc.
 All of which may be true. The dictionaries are full of allusions to colloquialisms in use. more or less commonly; this, apparently. by way of being up-to-date. The average American-the typical wise cracker such as we meet on every hand seems to enjoy nothing so much as to warble new snappy word. or to signed to render emphasis to his remarks.
 Jazzing up the language in this manner may have it's remunera- tions. Some of the words and terms we hear for q short period may be doomed to oblivion; but more than occasionally some of these phrases stick and become imbedded into the fabric of the language. An American seems to have no trouble in under standing the meaning of popular smart talk; he doesn't need a dia- gram or a blueprint to designate the idea being put across''- to use one of them coming to mind with the wings of familiarity; he is sold'-gosh, there is another-on the plan to make language a liv- ing thing reflecting the character istics of the times. The learned lexi- cographers may rave at the heavy work ensuing in the endeavor to keep up with the procession of cracking vocalism, but the common practitioner of sparkling language knows his onions
 Who is justified in saying that colloquialisms are the terror of language, that slang is an evidence of low-browism Some of the most cultured men We have ever met. in moments when they wished to say it with force. descended into the pits and hauled up term that all who listened could understands; not only this. but the term helped them 10 win their argument. That's one of the beauties of mangling the language: it sometimes achieves an object that the most moticulous employment of English misses.
 II. L. Mencken wrote a book some years ago on The American Language" which was something entirely different from the English language. And it was just as cru dite in it's way as the ponderous tones emitted by the supposed ex- perts who float about in the high CT realms of English as she is sup posed 10 be fixed everlastingly.
 One of the characteristics of Thomas Hardy's stories Of the Wcs- sex downs IS the mountainous con- glomeration Of colloQualisns that abound in them. When they get into the works of q noted author. it seems. they become literature: and for aught We are aware, they get into the dictionaries. As q mat ter Of fact, we looked up some of them and found they were there. There is something 10 be said in favor of spicing up the languag gc. even if some of the spice is of tenn porary quality. It is human 10 scc k novelty. in language as well as ir the arts, sciences and what not If some of us get 10 amusing oursclvea with wisecrack terms nobody ever heard before. that isn't saying the 1 terms may not have some perma- ncnt value. Come to think of it. that is the way the vast English lan- guage was built up. Nobody laid down any rules; the rules grew and