Americanisms In School

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31984, 10 May 1969, Page 12

Americanisms In School

Sir,—l believe “Australasian” is trying to say what Ben Jonson said, more economically, long ago: “Custom is the most certain mistress of language, as the public stamp makes the current

money.” Your correspondent, 1 however, obviously bases his argument upon the sheer, Sewering weight of mawritten and spoken, emanating from the United ' States; and the most ludicrous I example surely must be what t Americans call “Timese.” I« cannot accept any American i language “custom" whose' chief merit , lies in this self- < generated flood-tide, whether 1 we like it or not I would not i accept, either, that the New I Yorker might soon begin say- ! ing “you-all," or that the i - Southerner might soon cease. < .In sending my children to 1 i primary school, 1 expect them ’ i to be provided with English 1 ■ material in order that they ’ ’ may learn to speak and to 1 write in English; this, in the face of the purveyors and protagonists of rubbish.—Yours, ete., 1 PARENT. ' ’ May 9, 1969. ' [ Sir, —I would remind “Aus-' • tralasian” that we are a Bri- : tish people and the English 1 ‘ language is our own; we must 1 ; be the guardians of this heri- '• J tage—not the Americans. It - is all very well to say that the United States; by virtue of its predominant position, has now became the main- ; stream of the English language (or what, passes for it). . Is there any guarantee that , this predominance will be ;• maintained? Within the next '■ 20 years the United States ; couM well become a divided ? republic, with each fragment ? speaking its own jargon of dog-English. In years to come it is possible that the domin- _ ant power will be one whose language is not English; this is all the more reason why r w,e should jealously preserve f ours. I was shocked to learn >, of these foreign text-books r- being used in our schools; if s ever a “burning of books': is f. justified, now is the time.— t- Yours, etc..

QUERCUS. May 8, 1969.