OUR MOTHER TONGUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23169, 15 October 1938, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR MOTHER TONGUE

Random Notes and Little Problems

By PROFESSOR ARNOLD WALL

I HAVE often had to refer to those fussy old "rules" which the grammarians of the early nineteenth century sought to impose upon their generation, often, alas, with just enough success to hamper and confuse the conscientious speaker of English. Among these 1 have more than once mentioned their injunction regarding prepositions at the end of a sentence, following instead of preceding 'their objects.

Tliero is nothing wrong with this tisane as long as it is kept within reasonable bounds. Ihe way not to employ it is exemplified by a delightful story which has recently come to my ears. A very old dignitary of" the Church, when recovering from an illness, chose a book for bis kindly nurse to read out to him. He reported that nurse found tho book very boring and presently asked him: "What did you choose this book to be read out of for!"'" It is given to but few of us to achieve a pinnacle like that. Cul de Sac

1 receive a query about the name "Bagehot," its pronunciation, origin and moaning. It is pronounced as it written "Hadgut." The name is supposed to be a variant spelling of "Haggot" or "Bagot," familiar to readers of Shakespeare, it is undoubtedly Nor-man-French in origin and the termination "-ot " is the usual diminutive which we see in such names as "Piggot," "Parrot," and many others. Hut the name "bug" does not seem to have had any particular meaning. As 110 further light upon it could be got from my old friend Professor Krnest Weckfey, the host authority, with whom I had the opportunity to discuss it recently, L think we must leavo the subject "at that." The quest ends in a "cul de sac" or "the end of a bng." 1 am asked about the pronunciation of "sumach." This is one of those very numerous words which may be pronounced. legitimately, in more than one way. The authorities allow both "sewniack" and "shooniack." In my own experience "shooniack" is the commoner of the two. As the best-known species of Hhus is an American tree the Now Century Dictionary (Ameri-

can) should be good authority, but it leaves us with the choice. The name is French, "sumac," and the pronunciation with sh- is parallel to that of "sugar." A correspondent asks whether the meaning of "unique" has not been weakened by gradual change so as to become "outstanding" or "unusual" instead of "having 110 like or equal." He cites the use of this word as applied to tho position of a mayor who was also president of a racing club and held other similar offices of no great importance. It is indeed true that "unique" tends to be used with a less strict sense than its original and the process sometimes goes so far as to admit of a comparative or superlative which should certainly be condemned; "a most unique specimen, or experience" is given as an example of this "loose" use in a standard dictionary. Tho tendency illustrated here is very general. 1 have before referred to such expressions as "more (or less) extreme." It is, 1 think, an inevitable sort of change and is to be laid to the charge of our frail humanity. To demand or expect that we all, at all times should keep so strict a watch upon our speech as never to trip would bo unreasonable. Wo tend to make these gradual and unobtrusive changes especially when we use borrowed words, for example, from Latin or Greek, with whoso exact and literal meaning we are not all familiar; such inexactitudes mnv often be noticed in our use, or abuse, of "major," "minor" ("a very minor fault"), "extreme," etc.

Umpire Wanted I am called upon to act as umpire after "a heated argument" on the question whether his whereabouts "is" or "aro" properly said to be unknown, the appellant thinking "emphatically" that "aro" is correct (incidentally I don't know that psychologists would approve of "emphatic" thought). The decision is that "whereabouts," properly ono adverb and not a plural noun, must be treated as a singular and be followed by "is," not "are." There is no such thing or idea as "a whereabout." If there were I might legitimately say: I've looked within, I've looked without. But cannot And my whereabout; Of these 1 Always keep a pair, One In use and one as spare; It's lost for good, I do not doubt, M.v useful liftle whereabout. which is absurd.