IRISHMEN AND THE ENGLISH TONGUE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6269, 24 July 1907, Page 3

IRISHMEN AND THE ENGLISH TONGUE.

(To the Editor "N.Z. Times.”) Sir,—ln your Saturday's issue there ap&oore some doggrel about an alleged potato digging contest in Victoria, between some Irishmen and Afghans, X am pleased to notice that the "verses** were not the work of any of the staff of the "Times.” for anyone acquainted with the Irish vernacular can trace the hand in them of the semi-educated prig. For example, in one line we are told that

"Dan Hogan raised*a chare.” Now there is an unpardonable blunder in this line—a blunder common to all those who .try to mimic the Irishman without themselves understanding English. No Irishman would sound the "a” for the double "e.” He might say "bate” for "heat,” but never "shape” for "sheep,” •or ‘"chare" for "cheer.” jviojeovop there is a historic -reason 10, the Irishman's giving the "a” sound to the dipthong "©a.” If "Oriel” understood a little more of, the King's English bo would know that during the Tudor period and long afterwards *ea.” was invariably sounded like "a” in "pay,” For ii stance the poet Cowper writes; —

I am monarch of ail I survey From the centre around to the sea. Pope also wiote the following, which is often quoted as an instance of bathos:— Hero thou great Anna whom three realms obey Do sometimes counsel take and sometimes tea. Now, it was while this pronunciation was fashionable in England that the English tongue made some headway in Irtiand. 1 lie pronunciation gradually jhaugod in England to the modern sound, but the old pronunciation has

remained in Ireland as well as in< the Tele of Man, and possibly other parts of the United Kingdom. 'This is by no moans an isolated case. The Irish peasantry still say “childer” for “children, and tho reason is that tho old English words tor “child” and “children” were “did’” and “oildru.” In cornea of time the “c” became palatalised to '‘ch, | and Ihe plural became “childru” and i later “childer.” Later on the old plural j r cu/’ which. erill survives in “oxen.” was added- to ’childer, 5 ' and hence our. modern word. It was during tho timo; that “childer” was the correct spelling pf tho plural in England that the word was transplanted to Ireland, and there it is still in use. It will thus be seen that the mispronunciations which ignorant writers ascribe bo the people of Ireland were really imported from England. Similar examples can be quoted from America, for pronunciations and : supersititions long forgotten in England! but carried across the Atlantic by the Pilgrim Fathers, still survive in the New England States. W.riicre who affoct to imitate Mr Dooley often slumbie on the blunder you have reprinted, but Dooley himself knows better. I have noticed the same mistake tames out of number in the Sydney “Bulletin.” which is supposed by some of its admirers to bo an authority on pretty well everything. X need scarcely say that no man on earth speaks English better than the educated Irishman; but even the'generality of Irishmen could teach English to the English. For example, no Irishman would talk like the lordling who mice rcfoired in the House of Lords to “tho went wolls of the awistocwacy,” nor would anyone ascribe even to an Irish Unionist the speech of a young University prig who, addressing a Primrose League meeting, spoke of “those howible I wish who wouldn't pay theah wents.” Surely, sir, ..these men might have done worse than sit for a while at the feet of some Irishman?— I am, etc., P. J. O'REGAN. July 22nd.