A highly interesting article un "The Vulgar Tongue," is contributed by "R. L. G." to the "Nation," relative to Professor Wyld's "History of Modern Colloquial English." It is a mistake to suppose that the "vulgar tongue" means the "plebeian tongue," says "R. L. G." The very last people to give it up were probably the county families. Lady Lucy Pusey, who died in 1859, well over $0, to the day of her dear) never called her illustrious son anything but "Ed'ard."" She also aiwayz said "coman" for "'woman" Dickens's lower orders," of course, always did so. But it was a mode of speech which they had in common with those whose family plate, so to speak, included a si dish. The greatest have ever known always said "cow-cumber," like Sairey Gamp. My own appearance on this planet was not a great many years after Lady Lucy went to her rest, but I never heard anyone above the lowest rank say "coman." My own: nother often told stories in which it occurred in quotations of sayings she had heard. I remember hearing Sir Algernon West say that his own parents always said "Room, goold, chancy, lay lock," for "Rome, gold, chiao, lilac." These words have ell been corrected by the spelling from tie numeral traditional English pronunciation. "Chaney" may perhaps liver among the old ladies in such places as the almshouse at East Grinstead, but 1 doubt it. As a very Lttlo child I always said "'lay lock." This particular form bod outlived its companions. Grown a bittie older 1 suspect—I don't remember, but I fear it may have been so—that I began to correct my mother by the spelling-book. it is vey difficult to write on these subjects without becoming autop: ographical, and 1 am moved to put down here, My parents and gitadparents spoke the vulgar tongue, and the best of good #ugush it vas.
Tae OFrenving Now the insistence on the suunding of "t's" and "d's" in all sorts of words in which centuries for they had lain happily silent is of the very essence of the board school, spelling-book English. One must admit, however, that while all the time the matter-is in dispute the particular word with the consonant sounded is perfectly hideous, once the innovation universally accepted, the discarded form becomes a vulgarity. At this moment a battle is ragifig over "often." The word "often," with the "t" sounded, instead of the old leisurely, free and easy "of'n'? brings a sense of discomfort and annoyance whenever one hears it—but once let it become the established form (as one knows so well it will), and the ear will forthwith be dissatisfied if it misses the 't."" After all one cannot get away from the atmosphere; it is completely circumambient, and one must speak perforce the language of one's time. Still "of'n" is worth s struggle. At the presents day children in board schools are punished for pronouncing it with out the "t." On the other hand, the only thing for which I remember my own particular schoolmaster with gratitude is his having given me a jacketing for using the intolerably priggish "Wednesday" for "Wenesday." 1 deserved what I got. To quote some of silent "t" and "d" words. blessedly still universal, though I have heard "Christmas" attempted. It sets one's teeth on edge. We still say "wissel" for "whistle." It will be an outrage if the fanatics of correctitude foist '"whistd" upon as the symbol of that happy noise of boys and blackbirds. No doubt they will attempt to do so. "Christen" again for "crissen" 1 have never heard,—_ though "Christian" for the old English "Chrischen" continually—_ grates upon my ears. Our Nonconformist brethren are great offenders in this respect. It seems that no one could say with any ease "gristd," or even the "gris!" of the pronouncing dictionaries for what as children we always called "grizz'l." Personally I shall always keep the pronunciation of "Wes'minster," "thousand'," "'almon's," "mostly,"" "beastly," and the like which heard and spoke as a child.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.