TIMELY TOPICS

Northern Advocate, 6 February 1934, Page 6

TIMELY TOPICS

I i STICKING TO “ENGLISH.” 1 A Chancery Judge Avho came across the Avord “stenographer” the other day said it “not English” and demanded to know Avhat it meant. He might have found a stranger word to object to, for there must be hundreds of. thousands of people Avho know without thinking about it that a stenographer isn’t very far away from a shorthand-typist. And there you have in a nutshell a troublesome aspect of the very vexed question of language —the fact that scores of expressions Avhich are “not English” arc' used daily by hosts of us who still knOAA’ AA'hat they mean. It ’s a difficulty that, can hardly be got over. For the only language that any authority can be precise about is a dead one.' A living language must in. the nature of things grow, and ■English is not only a living language but a tongue that has alAA ; ays indulged in the most shameless borroAvings from others. So Avhy should any particular stage of. this sAvalloAving process bo condemned as “not. English” Avheu only a matter of digestion stands be* tAvccn.it and an authentic “English”! label? '

The recent publication of a supplementary volume of the Oxford English Dictionary points the question, .formerly only' self-confessed -“slang j dictionaries ” made any attempt to j record current speech. How different the new Oxford volume is can be seen from the fact that it not only includes the expression “0.K.,” but gives its place as a verb and quotes an illustration a phrase where it appears in the form “ok-e'd.” This is authorising* the up-to-date with a vengeance. But is it not also missing a chance? For the English language, in its drawing on other languages, has not always kept what it borrowed. And only what it has kept has survived as “English.” That is why it is wise to jresorvo som osort of distinction between the two processes of swallowing and digesting —and something of this sort was probably in the mind of the Judge who protested at “stenographer.” Tt is in use, but it will probably die. For the same reason the new Oxford volume, in recording j fully the everyday speech of today, j might perhaps have judged it more by j its chance# of remaining the speech j of tomorrow. There is a lot to bo said j for keeping the time-test for a word j that wants to qualify as “English.” j <y> <?> ■s, & I WORDS OF WISDOM. | T t eqrn to give everyone what is his j by right, and to offer him a little more.—Joaquin Retanti. <s> <*> <V TALE OF THE DAY. ‘ ‘ Don’t you know her? Why, she lives in the same square with you.” “Yea, but she’s not in the same' circle.” j