Talk — The Manner of It

1916

The high schools and colleges of the day ought to do something more to teach students how to talk. The young men would be better off for some instruction of the kind, but in the case of the young women it is little less than a necessity. Their voices, to be candid, are by no means as pleasing as they might easily be were their possessors even reminded occasionally of the value of modulation, variation, softness and correct and fairly precise pronunciation.

As it is, however, the sweet girl graduate has anything but a voice and a manner of speaking consistent with the refreshing charms with which she is otherwise so generously blessed. In one university in the state — typical of others — a visitor recently observed that nearly every young woman in the senior class was woefully addicted to habits of mispronunciation. "And their voices," he added, "were most distressing. What they said was well enough, but the manner of their saying it was — agonizing."

The indictment, it must be admitted, is well founded. It is one, however, that should never be brought — for which there should be no support. And there would be none of it, either, if no more than casual attention were paid to the matter in our schools and colleges. Singing is taught — to be only rarely used. Why not teach talking? — Indianapolis News.

Jumbled English

1919

A school patron talking with a prominent educator the other day said that with all of the effort made in North Carolina schools to give the child a fair knowledge of the English language, he did not believe there was one child in a hundred in the schools of the State who could recite a sentence of twenty words in a clear, distinct and articulate tone of voice. The pity is that there is so much truth in the statement, comments the Raleigh News Observer.

Go into a classroom and hear the children read. Is it not the exception when a child knows how to pronounce its syllables distinctly? Syllables and letters both are too often wholly ignored. Words are jumbled together too frequently in incoherent fashion. Worst of all and at the bottom of the trouble is the fact that some of the teachers are less proficient than they should be in distinctness of speech, while others who are more precise themselves, pay insufficient attention to the pronunciation of the children.

The old-fashioned elocution class in which the children were taught to utter their syllables distinctly might very well come back in place of some of the things that are more pretentious, but have less value in the school.

She Teaches Correct Speech

1910

A woman of culture and travel has made a glorious success teaching correct speech. It is surprising how much incorrect speech there is among our educated people. They cling to provincialisms, incorrect pronunciations, wrong use of words and unmusical intonations. The southerner holds to the soft, r-less utterance of his "mammy" days; the middle westerner flattens all his vowels; the Bostonian throws his r's completely out of joint.

This woman undertook to correct such errors and teach a pure, perfect, English speech to a few young women. She became so successful that she was compelled to start a school of correct English which has grown to great proportions. This particularly promising field is open to every town in America. — Delineator


Good Advice

"And now, son," said the old rabbit, "here's a bit of advice. Always keep on the good side of a dog."

"But, pop," queried the youngster, who was about to go forth into the big world, "which is the good side of a dog?"

"The outside, son," answered the old rabbit, as he bit off another hunk of cabbage.


Tired

Some people are so tireless that they become positively tiresome.

Right Words and Their Uses

1914

It is said there are three ways in which one's personality is revealed to the world. The first is by one's appearance, face, manner, carriage and dress. These things appear to the eye. The second is the revelation in notes, letters, handwriting and spelling. The third and most important is in one's speech, that is, in the way of saying what one has to say. This is a test of one's education and good breeding.

Cultured people are keenly critical of those who make mistakes in pronunciation or grammar. A well-trained ear for music is very sensitive to false notes. A well-trained ear for correct sounds in language is sensitive in the same way.

Good advice was given by Lord Chesterfield in one of his letters to his son: "Never use favorite words, nor hard words, but take great care to speak correctly and grammatically and to pronounce properly."

Everyone realizes the necessity of practicing music, drawing, or any other art in order to become proficient, yet there in great neglect of the effort to practice the correct use of the English language.

Observation and memory should help one to correct bad habits in speech. Whenever an unfamiliar word or pronunciation is heard it is well to refer to a good dictionary, discover the meaning and proper pronunciation. This will stamp it indelibly in the mind. No study is more fascinating that that of words. The habit of spending time over a dictionary is to be encouraged.

It is incorrect to say donate for give, transpire for happen, loan for lend, preventative for preventive.

Care should be taken to pronounce address with the accent on the last syllable, and to pronounce catch to rhyme with match, not to say ketch.

Tuesday, new, duty and avenue are pronounced with the broad, clear "u," not Toosday, noo, dooty, avenoo.

It is illiterate to add letters where they do not belong and to say heighth for height, acrost for across.

A careless fault, as well as a breach of good form in expression, is to say "I am going to quit work," or "quit this place," instead of "stop work," or "leave this place."

Often we find careless speakers using the expression, "The two first houses." It is correct to say, "first two." There cannot be "two first." A moment's thought makes this clear in the mind.

An erroneous expression is "Between you and I." The rule that prepositions govern the objective case should be familiar to everyone.

A common error is in such sentences as "These kind of things." "Those sort of entertainment." The form should be: "Things of this kind." "Entertainments of that sort."

French derivatives should be avoided and good Anglo-Saxon words used. Therefore it is best to say station not depot; begin not commence.