Books: How to Speak and Write Correctly
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Joseph Devlin >> How to Speak and Write Correctly
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It is words and their placing that count on almost all occasions. No
matter how refined in other respects the person may be, if he use words
wrongly and express himself in language not in accordance with a proper
construction, he will repel you, whereas the man who places his words
correctly and employs language in harmony with the laws of good speech,
let him be ever so humble, will attract and have an influence over you.
The good speaker, the correct speaker, is always able to command
attention and doors are thrown open to him which remain closed to others
not equipped with a like facility of expression. The man who can talk
well and to the point need never fear to go idle. He is required in
nearly every walk of life and field of human endeavor, the world wants
him at every turn. Employers are constantly on the lookout for good
talkers, those who are able to attract the public and convince others by
the force of their language. A man may be able, educated, refined, of
unblemished character, nevertheless if he lack the power to express
himself, put forth his views in good and appropriate speech he has to
take a back seat, while some one with much less ability gets the
opportunity to come to the front because he can clothe his ideas in ready
words and talk effectively.
You may again say that nature, not art, makes a man a fluent speaker; to
a great degree this is true, but it is _art_ that makes him a _correct_
speaker, and correctness leads to fluency. It is possible for everyone to
become a correct speaker if he will but persevere and take a little pains
and care.
At the risk of repetition good advice may be here emphasized: Listen to
the best speakers and note carefully the words which impress you most.
Keep a notebook and jot down words, phrases, sentences that are in any
way striking or out of the ordinary run. If you do not understand the
exact meaning of a word you have heard, look it up in the dictionary.
There are many words, called synonyms, which have almost a like
signification, nevertheless, when examined they express different shades
of meaning and in some cases, instead of being close related, are widely
divergent. Beware of such words, find their exact meaning and learn to
use them in their right places.
Be open to criticism, don't resent it but rather invite it and look upon
those as friends who point out your defects in order that you may remedy
them.
CHAPTER XI
SLANG
Origin--American Slang--Foreign Slang
Slang is more or less common in nearly all ranks of society and in every
walk of life at the present day. Slang words and expressions have crept
into our everyday language, and so insiduously, that they have not been
detected by the great majority of speakers, and so have become part and
parcel of their vocabulary on an equal footing with the legitimate words
of speech. They are called upon to do similar service as the ordinary
words used in everyday conversation--to express thoughts and desires and
convey meaning from one to another. In fact, in some cases, slang has
become so useful that it has far outstripped classic speech and made for
itself such a position in the vernacular that it would be very hard in
some cases to get along without it. Slang words have usurped the place of
regular words of language in very many instances and reign supreme in
their own strength and influence.
Cant and slang are often confused in the popular mind, yet they are not
synonymous, though very closely allied, and proceeding from a common
Gypsy origin. Cant is the language of a certain class--the peculiar
phraseology or dialect of a certain craft, trade or profession, and is
not readily understood save by the initiated of such craft, trade or
profession. It may be correct, according to the rules of grammar, but it
is not universal; it is confined to certain parts and localities and is
only intelligible to those for whom it is intended. In short, it is an
esoteric language which only the initiated can understand. The jargon, or
patter, of thieves is cant and it is only understood by thieves who have
been let into its significance; the initiated language of professional
gamblers is cant, and is only intelligible to gamblers.
On the other hand, slang, as it is nowadays, belongs to no particular class
but is scattered all over and gets _entre_ into every kind of society and
is understood by all where it passes current in everyday expression. Of
course, the nature of the slang, to a great extent, depends upon the
locality, as it chiefly is concerned with colloquialisms or words and
phrases common to a particular section. For instance, the slang of London
is slightly different from that of New York, and some words in the one city
may be unintelligible in the other, though well understood in that in which
they are current. Nevertheless, slang may be said to be universally
understood. "To kick the bucket," "to cross the Jordan," "to hop the twig"
are just as expressive of the departing from life in the backwoods of
America or the wilds of Australia as they are in London or Dublin.
Slang simply consists of words and phrases which pass current but are not
refined, nor elegant enough, to be admitted into polite speech or
literature whenever they are recognized as such. But, as has been said, a
great many use slang without their knowing it as slang and incorporate it
into their everyday speech and conversation.
Some authors purposely use slang to give emphasis and spice in familiar and
humorous writing, but they should not be imitated by the tyro. A master,
such as Dickens, is forgivable, but in the novice it is unpardonable.
There are several kinds of slang attached to different professions and
classes of society. For instance, there is college slang, political
slang, sporting slang, etc. It is the nature of slang to circulate freely
among all classes, yet there are several kinds of this current form of
language corresponding to the several classes of society. The two great
divisions of slang are the vulgar of the uneducated and coarse-minded,
and the high-toned slang of the so-called upper classes--the educated and
the wealthy. The hoyden of the gutter does not use the same slang as my
lady in her boudoir, but both use it, and so expressive is it that the
one might readily understand the other if brought in contact. Therefore,
there are what may be styled an ignorant slang and an educated slang--the
one common to the purlieus and the alleys, the other to the parlor and
the drawing-room.
In all cases the object of slang is to express an idea in a more vigorous,
piquant and terse manner than standard usage ordinarily admits. A school
girl, when she wants to praise a baby, exclaims: "Oh, isn't he awfully
cute!" To say that he is very nice would be too weak a way to express her
admiration. When a handsome girl appears on the street an enthusiastic
masculine admirer, to express his appreciation of her beauty, tells you:
"She is a peach, a bird, a cuckoo," any of which accentuates his
estimation of the young lady and is much more emphatic than saying: "She
is a beautiful girl," "a handsome maiden," or "lovely young woman."
When a politician defeats his rival he will tell you "it was a cinch," he
had a "walk-over," to impress you how easy it was to gain the victory.
Some slang expressions are of the nature of metaphors and are highly
figurative. Such are "to pass in your checks," "to hold up," "to pull the
wool over your eyes," "to talk through your hat," "to fire out," "to go
back on," "to make yourself solid with," "to have a jag on," "to be
loaded," "to freeze on to," "to bark up the wrong tree," "don't monkey
with the buzz-saw," and "in the soup." Most slang had a bad origin. The
greater part originated in the cant of thieves' Latin, but it broke away
from this cant of malefactors in time and gradually evolved itself from
its unsavory past until it developed into a current form of expressive
speech. Some slang, however, can trace its origin back to very
respectable sources.
"Stolen fruits are sweet" may be traced to the Bible in sentiment.
Proverbs, ix:17 has it: "Stolen waters are sweet." "What are you giving
me," supposed to be a thorough Americanism, is based upon Genesis,
xxxviii:16. The common slang, "a bad man," in referring to Western
desperadoes, in almost the identical sense now used, is found in
Spenser's _Faerie Queen_, Massinger's play _"A New Way to Pay Old
Debts,_" and in Shakespeare's _"King Henry VIII_." The expression "to
blow on," meaning to inform, is in Shakespeare's _"As You Like it_."
"It's all Greek to me" is traceable to the play of _"Julius Caesar_."
"All cry and no wool" is in Butler's _"Hudibras_." "Pious frauds,"
meaning hypocrites, is from the same source. "Too thin," referring to an
excuse, is from Smollett's "_Peregrine Pickle_." Shakespeare also used
it.
America has had a large share in contributing to modern slang. "The
heathen Chinee," and "Ways that are dark, and tricks that are vain," are
from Bret Harte's _Truthful James_. "Not for Joe," arose during the Civil
War when one soldier refused to give a drink to another. "Not if I know
myself" had its origin in Chicago. "What's the matter with----? He's all
right," had its beginning in Chicago also and first was "What's the
matter with Hannah." referring to a lazy domestic servant. "There's
millions in it," and "By a large majority" come from Mark Twain's _Gilded
Age_. "Pull down your vest," "jim-jams," "got 'em bad," "that's what's
the matter," "go hire a hall," "take in your sign," "dry up," "hump
yourself," "it's the man around the corner," "putting up a job," "put a
head on him," "no back talk," "bottom dollar," "went off on his ear,"
"chalk it down," "staving him off," "making it warm," "dropping him
gently," "dead gone," "busted," "counter jumper," "put up or shut up,"
"bang up," "smart Aleck," "too much jaw," "chin-music," "top heavy,"
"barefooted on the top of the head," "a little too fresh," "champion
liar," "chief cook and bottle washer," "bag and baggage," "as fine as
silk," "name your poison," "died with his boots on," "old hoss," "hunkey
dorey," "hold your horses," "galoot" and many others in use at present
are all Americanisms in slang.
California especially has been most fecund in this class of figurative
language. To this State we owe "go off and die," "don't you forget it,"
"rough deal," "square deal," "flush times," "pool your issues," "go bury
yourself," "go drown yourself," "give your tongue a vacation," "a bad
egg," "go climb a tree," "plug hats," "Dolly Vardens," "well fixed,"
"down to bed rock," "hard pan," "pay dirt," "petered out," "it won't
wash," "slug of whiskey," "it pans out well," and "I should smile."
"Small potatoes, and few in the hill," "soft snap," "all fired," "gol
durn it," "an up-hill job," "slick," "short cut," "guess not," "correct
thing" are Bostonisms. The terms "innocent," "acknowledge the corn,"
"bark up the wrong tree," "great snakes," "I reckon," "playing 'possum,"
"dead shot," had their origin in the Southern States. "Doggone it," "that
beats the Dutch," "you bet," "you bet your boots," sprang from New York.
"Step down and out" originated in the Beecher trial, just as
"brain-storm" originated in the Thaw trial.
Among the slang phrases that have come directly to us from England may be
mentioned "throw up the sponge," "draw it mild," "give us a rest," "dead
beat," "on the shelf," "up the spout," "stunning," "gift of the gab,"
etc.
The newspapers are responsible for a large part of the slang. Reporters,
staff writers, and even editors, put words and phrases into the mouths of
individuals which they never utter. New York is supposed to be the
headquarters of slang, particularly that portion of it known as the
Bowery. All transgressions and corruptions of language are supposed to
originate in that unclassic section, while the truth is that the laws of
polite English are as much violated on Fifth Avenue. Of course, the
foreign element mincing their "pidgin" English have given the Bowery an
unenviable reputation, but there are just as good speakers of the
vernacular on the Bowery as elsewhere in the greater city. Yet every
inexperienced newspaper reporter thinks that it is incumbent on him to
hold the Bowery up to ridicule and laughter, so he sits down, and out of
his circumscribed brain, mutilates the English tongue (he can rarely coin
a word), and blames the mutilation on the Bowery.
'Tis the same with newspapers and authors, too, detracting the Irish
race. Men and women who have never seen the green hills of Ireland, paint
Irish characters as boors and blunderers and make them say ludicrous
things and use such language as is never heard within the four walls of
Ireland. 'Tis very well known that Ireland is the most learned country on
the face of the earth--is, and has been. The schoolmaster has been abroad
there for hundreds, almost thousands, of years, and nowhere else in the
world to-day is the king's English spoken so purely as in the cities and
towns of the little Western Isle.
Current events, happenings of everyday life, often give rise to slang
words, and these, after a time, come into such general use that they take
their places in everyday speech like ordinary words and, as has been
said, their users forget that they once were slang. For instance, the
days of the Land League in Ireland originated the word _boycott_, which
was the name of a very unpopular landlord, Captain Boycott. The people
refused to work for him, and his crops rotted on the ground. From this
time any one who came into disfavor and whom his neighbors refused to
assist in any way was said to be boycotted. Therefore to boycott means to
punish by abandoning or depriving a person of the assistance of others.
At first it was a notoriously slang word, but now it is standard in the
English dictionaries.
Politics add to our slang words and phrases. From this source we get
"dark horse," "the gray mare is the better horse," "barrel of money,"
"buncombe," "gerrymander," "scalawag," "henchman," "logrolling," "pulling
the wires," "taking the stump," "machine," "slate," etc.
The money market furnishes us with "corner," "bull," "bear," "lamb,"
"slump," and several others.
The custom of the times and the requirements of current expression require
the best of us to use slang words and phrases on occasions. Often we do
not know they are slang, just as a child often uses profane words without
consciousness of their being so. We should avoid the use of slang as much
as possible, even when it serves to convey our ideas in a forceful
manner. And when it has not gained a firm foothold in current speech it
should be used not at all. Remember that most all slang is of vulgar
origin and bears upon its face the bend sinister of vulgarity. Of the
slang that is of good birth, pass it by if you can, for it is like a
broken-down gentleman, of little good to any one. Imitate the great
masters as much as you will in classical literature, but when it comes to
their slang, draw the line. Dean Swift, the great Irish satirist, coined
the word "phiz" for face. Don't imitate him. If you are speaking or
writing of the beauty of a lady's face don't call it her "phiz." The
Dean, as an intellectual giant, had a license to do so--you haven't.
Shakespeare used the word "flush" to indicate plenty of money. Well, just
remember there was only one Shakespeare, and he was the only one that had
a right to use that word in that sense. You'll never be a Shakespeare,
there will never be such another--Nature exhausted herself in producing
him. Bulwer used the word "stretch" for hang, as to stretch his neck.
Don't follow his example in such use of the word. Above all, avoid the
low, coarse, vulgar slang, which is made to pass for wit among the
riff-raff of the street. If you are speaking or writing of a person
having died last night don't say or write: "He hopped the twig," or "he
kicked the bucket." If you are compelled to listen to a person discoursing
on a subject of which he knows little or nothing, don't say "He is
talking through his hat." If you are telling of having shaken hands with
Mr. Roosevelt don't say "He tipped me his flipper." If you are speaking
of a wealthy man don't say "He has plenty of spondulix," or "the long
green." All such slang is low, coarse and vulgar and is to be frowned
upon on any and every occasion.
If you use slang use the refined kind and use it like a gentleman, that
it will not hurt or give offense to any one. Cardinal Newman defined a
gentleman as he who never inflicts pain. Be a gentleman in your slang--
never inflict pain.
CHAPTER XII
WRITING FOR NEWSPAPERS
Qualification--Appropriate Subjects--Directions
The newspaper nowadays goes into every home in the land; what was
formerly regarded as a luxury is now looked upon as a necessity. No
matter how poor the individual, he is not too poor to afford a penny to
learn, not alone what is taking place around him in his own immediate
vicinity, but also what is happening in every quarter of the globe. The
laborer on the street can be as well posted on the news of the day as the
banker in his office. Through the newspaper he can feel the pulse of the
country and find whether its vitality is increasing or diminishing; he
can read the signs of the times and scan the political horizon for what
concerns his own interests. The doings of foreign countries are spread
before him and he can see at a glance the occurrences in the remotest
corners of earth. If a fire occurred in London last night he can read
about it at his breakfast table in New York this morning, and probably
get a better account than the Londoners themselves. If a duel takes place
in Paris he can read all about it even before the contestants have left
the field.
There are upwards of 3,000 daily newspapers in the United States, more
than 2,000 of which are published in towns containing less than 100,000
inhabitants. In fact, many places of less than 10,000 population can
boast the publishing of a daily newspaper. There are more than 15,000
weeklies published. Some of the so-called country papers wield quite an
influence in their localities, and even outside, and are money-making
agencies for their owners and those connected with them, both by way of
circulation and advertisements.
It is surprising the number of people in this country who make a living
in the newspaper field. Apart from the regular toilers there are thousands
of men and women who make newspaper work a side issue, who add tidy sums
of "pin money" to their incomes by occasional contributions to the daily,
weekly and monthly press. Most of these people are only persons of
ordinary, everyday ability, having just enough education to express
themselves intelligently in writing.
It is a mistake to imagine, as so many do, that an extended education is
necessary for newspaper work. Not at all! On the contrary, in some cases,
a high-class education is a hindrance, not a help in this direction. The
general newspaper does not want learned disquisitions nor philosophical
theses; as its name implies, it wants news, current news, interesting
news, something to appeal to its readers, to arouse them and rivet their
attention. In this respect very often a boy can write a better article
than a college professor. The professor would be apt to use words beyond
the capacity of most of the readers, while the boy, not knowing such
words, would probably simply tell what he saw, how great the damage was,
who were killed or injured, etc., and use language which all would
understand.
Of course, there are some brilliant scholars, deeply-read men and women
in the newspaper realm, but, on the whole, those who have made the
greatest names commenced ignorant enough and most of them graduated by
way of the country paper. Some of the leading writers of England and
America at the present time started their literary careers by contributing
to the rural press. They perfected and polished themselves as they went
along until they were able to make names for themselves in universal
literature.
If you want to contribute to newspapers or enter the newspaper field as a
means of livelihood, don't let lack of a college or university education
stand in your way. As has been said elsewhere in this book, some of the
greatest masters of English literature were men who had but little
advantage in the way of book learning. Shakespeare, Bunyan, Burns, and
scores of others, who have left their names indelibly inscribed on the
tablets of fame, had little to boast of in the way of book education, but
they had what is popularly known as "horse" sense and a good working
knowledge of the world; in other words, they understood human nature, and
were natural themselves. Shakespeare understood mankind because he was
himself a man; hence he has portrayed the feelings, the emotions, the
passions with a master's touch, delineating the king in his palace as true
to nature as he has done the peasant in his hut. The monitor within his own
breast gave him warning as to what was right and what was wrong, just as
the daemon ever by the side of old Socrates whispered in his ear the course
to pursue under any and all circumstances. Burns guiding the plough
conceived thoughts and clothed them in a language which has never, nor
probably never will be, surpassed by all the learning which art can confer.
These men were natural, and it was the perfection of this naturality that
wreathed their brows with the never-fading laurels of undying fame.
If you would essay to write for the newspaper you must be natural and
express yourself in your accustomed way without putting on airs or
frills; you must not ape ornaments and indulge in bombast or rhodomontade
which stamp a writer as not only superficial but silly. There is no room
for such in the everyday newspaper. It wants facts stated in plain,
unvarnished, unadorned language. True, you should read the best authors
and, as far as possible, imitate their style, but don't try to literally
copy them. Be yourself on every occasion--no one else.
Not like Homer would I write,
Not like Dante if I might,
Not like Shakespeare at his best,
Not like Goethe or the rest,
Like myself, however small,
Like myself, or not at all.
Put yourself in place of the reader and write what will interest yourself
and in such a way that your language will appeal to your own ideas of the
fitness of things. You belong to the _great_ commonplace majority,
therefore don't forget that in writing for the newspapers you are writing
for that majority and not for the learned and aesthetic minority.
Remember you are writing for the man on the street and in the street car,
you want to interest him, to compel him to read what you have to say. He
does not want a display of learning; he wants news about something which
concerns himself, and you must tell it to him in a plain, simple manner
just as you would do if you were face to face with him.
What can you write about? Why about anything that will constitute current
news, some leading event of the day, anything that will appeal to the
readers of the paper to which you wish to submit it. No matter in what
locality you may live, however backward it may be, you can always find
something of genuine human interest to others. If there is no news
happening, write of something that appeals to yourself. We are all
constituted alike, and the chances are that what will interest you will
interest others. Descriptions of adventure are generally acceptable. Tell
of a fox hunt, or a badger hunt, or a bear chase.
If there is any important manufacturing plant in your neighborhood
describe it and, if possible, get photographs, for photography plays a
very important part in the news items of to-day. If a "great" man lives
near you, one whose name is on the tip of every tongue, go and get an
interview with him, obtain his views on the public questions of the day,
describe his home life and his surroundings and how he spends his time.
Try and strike something germane to the moment, something that stands out
prominently in the limelight of the passing show. If a noted personage,
some famous man or woman, is visiting the country, it is a good time to
write up the place from which he or she comes and the record he or she has
made there. For instance, it was opportune to write of Sulu and the little
Pacific archipelago during the Sultan's trip through the country. If an
attempt is made to blow up an American battleship, say, in the harbor of
Appia, in Samoa, it affords a chance to write about Samoa and Robert Louis
Stephenson. When Manuel was hurled from the throne of Portugal it was a
ripe time to write of Portugal and Portuguese affairs. If any great
occurrence is taking place in a foreign country such as the crowning of a
king or the dethronement of a monarch, it is a good time to write up the
history of the country and describe the events leading up to the main
issue. When a particularly savage outbreak occurs amongst wild tribes in
the dependencies, such as a rising of the Manobos in the Philippines, it is
opportune to write of such tribes and their surroundings, and the causes
leading up to the revolt.
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