Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 26

172. Ess.e.x, London, &c.

V-wiew for _view;_ vent for _went;_ vite for _white;_ ven for _when;_ vot for _what_. Londoners are also p.r.o.ne to say Toosday for _Tuesday;_ noomerous for _numerous_; noospaper for _newspaper_, &c.

[THE MUSICAL SCALE WAS INVENTED IN 1022.]

173. Hereford, &c.:

Clom for _climb;_ hove for _heave;_ puck for _pick;_ rep for _reap;_ sled for _sledge_.

174. Leicesters.h.i.+re, Lincolns.h.i.+re, Lancas.h.i.+re, &c.

Housen for _houses;_ a-ioyne for _lane;_ mon for _man;_ thik for _this;_ brig for _bridge;_ thack, pick, for _thatch, pitch_.

175. Yorks.h.i.+re, &c.

Foyt for _foot;_ foight for _fight;_ o-noite, foil, coil, hoil, for _note, foal, coal, hole;_ loyne for _lane;_ o-nooin, gooise, fooil, tooil, for _noon, goose, fool, tool;_ spwort, scworn, whoam, for _sport, scorn, home;_ g-yet for _gate_.

176. Examples of Provincial Dialects.

The following will be found very amusing:

177. The Cornish Schoolboy.

An ould man found, one day, a young gentleman's portmantle, as he were a going to es dennar; he took'd et en and gived et to es wife, and said, "Mally, here's a roul of lither, look, see, I suppoase some poor ould shoemaker or other have los'en; tak'en, and put'en a top of the teaster of tha bed; he'll be glad to hab'en agin sum day, I dear say."

The ould man, Jan, that was es neame, went to es work as before.

Mally then opened the portmantle, and found en et three hunderd pounds. Soon after thes, the ould man not being very well, Mally said, "Jan, I'ave saaved away a little money, by the bye, and as thee caan't read or write, thee shu'st go to scool" (he were then nigh threescore and ten). He went but a very short time, and comed hoam one day and said, "Mally, I waint go to scool no more, 'caase the childer do be laffen at me: they can tell their letters, and I caan't tell my A, B, C, and I wud rayther go to work agen." "Do as thee wool," ses Mally. Jan had not been out many days, afore Vhe young gentleman came by that lost the portmantle, and said, "Well, my ould man, did'ee see or hear tell o' sich a thing as a portmantle?" "Port-mantle, sar, was't that un, sumthing like thickey?" (pointing to one behind es saddle). "I vound one the t'other day zackly like that." "Where es, et?" "Come along, I carr'd'en and gov'en to my ould 'ooman, Mally; thee sha't av'en, nevr vear.--Mally, where es that roul of lither I broft en tould thee to put en a top o' the teaster of the bed, _afore I go'd to scool?_" "Drat thee emperance," said the young gentleman; "thee art bewattled; _that were afore I were born._"

So he druv'd off, and left all the three hunderd pounds with Jan and Mally.

178. Yorks.h.i.+re.

Men an' women is like so monny cards, played wi' be two oppoanents, Time an' Eternity: Time gets a gam' noo an' then, and hez t' pleasure o' keepin' his cards for a bit, bud Eternity's be far t'better hand, an' proves, day be day, an' hoor be hoor, 'at he's winnin incalcalably fast.--"Hoo sweet, hoo varry sweet is life!" as t' fiee said when he wur stuck i' treacle!

179. Effect of Provincialisms

Persons bred in these localities, and in Ireland and Scotland, retain more or less of their provincialisms; and, therefore, when they move into other districts, they become conspicuous for their peculiarities of speech. Often they appear vulgar and uneducated, when they are not so. It is, therefore, desirable for all persons to approach the recognised standard of correctness as nearly as possible.

180. Correction of Errors in Speaking.

To correct these errors by a systematic course of study would involve a closer application than most persons could afford, and require more s.p.a.ce than we can devote to the subject. We will therefore give numerous Rules and Hints, in a concise and simple form, which will be of great a.s.sistance to inquirers. These Rules and Hints will be founded upon the authority of scholars, the usages of the bar, the pulpit, and the senate, and the authority of societies formed for the purpose of collecting and diffusing knowledge pertaining to the language of this country.

[A SALMON NAS BEEN KNOWN TO PRODUCE 10,000,000 EGGS.]

181. Rules and Hints for Correct Speaking.

1. _Who_ and _whom_ are used in relation to persons, and _which_ in relation to things. But it was once common to say, "the man _which._" This should now be avoided. It is now usual to say, "Our Father _who_ art in heaven," instead of "_which_ art in heaven."

2. _Whose_ is, however, sometimes applied to things as well as to persons. We may therefore say, "The country _whose_ inhabitants are free." Grammarians differ in opinion upon this subject, but general usage justifies the rule.

3. _Thou_ is employed in solemn discourse, and you in common language. _Ye_ (plural) is also used in serious addresses, and you in familiar language.

4. The uses of the word _It_ are various, and very perplexing to the uneducated. It is not only used to imply persons, but things, and even, ideas, and therefore, in speaking or writing, its a.s.sistance is constantly required. The perplexity respecting this word arises from the fact that in using it in the construction of a long sentence, sufficient care is not taken to ensure that when _it_ is employed it really points out or refers to the object intended. For instance, "It was raining when John set out in his cart to go to the market, and he was delayed so long that it was over before he arrived." Now what is to be understood by this sentence? Was the rain over? or the market? Either or both might be inferred from the construction of the sentence, which, therefore, should be written thus:--"It was raining when John set out in his cart to go to the market, and he was delayed so long that the market was over before he arrived."

5. _Rule_.--After writing a sentence always look through it, and see that wherever the word It is employed, it refers to or carries the mind back to the object which it is intended to point out.

6. The general distinction between _This_ and _That_ may be thus defined: _this_ denotes an object present or near, in time or place, _that_ something which is absent.

7. _These_ refers, in the same manner, to present objects, while _those_ refers to things that are remote.

8. _Who_ changes, under certain conditions, into _whose_ and _whom_.

But _that_ and _which_ always remain the same.

9. _That_ may be applied to nouns or subjects of all sorts; as, the _girl that_ went to school, the _dog that_ bit me, the _s.h.i.+p that_ went to London, the _opinion that_ he entertains.

10. The misuse of these p.r.o.nouns gives rise to more errors in speaking and writing than any other cause.

11. When you wish to distinguish between two or more persons, say, "_Which_ is the happy man?"--not _who_--"_Which_ of those ladies do you admire?"

12. Instead of "_Who_ do you think him to be?"--say, "_Whom_ do you think him to be?"

13. _Whom_ should I see?

14. To _whom_ do you speak?

15. _Who_ said so?

16. _Who_ gave it to you?

17. Of _whom_ did you procure them?

18. _Who_ was _he_?

19. _Who_ do men say that _I_ am?

20. _Whom_ do they represent _me_ to be? [1]

21. In many instances in which _who_ is used as an interrogative, it does not become _whom_; as "_Who_ do you speak to?" "_Who_ do you expect?" "_Who_ is she married to?" "_Who_ is this reserved for?"

"_Who_ was it made by?" Such sentences are found in the writings of our best authors, and it would be presumptuous to consider them as ungrammatical. If the word _whom_ should be preferred, then it would be best to say, "For _whom_ is this reserved?" &c.