SPECIMEN OF MIDDLE ENGLISH.

§ 47. In Chaucer, and Mandeville, and other writers of that age, we have a transition from Old to what has been called Middle English. The last characteristic of a grammar different from that of the present English is the plural form in -en: We tellen, Ye tellen, They tellen. As this disappears, which it does in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the Middle English may be said to pass into the New or Modern English.

And Marye seyde mi soule magnyfieth the lord. And my spirit hath gladid in God myn helthe. For he hath behulden the mekeness of his handmaiden; for lo for this alle generaciouns schulen seye that I am blessid; for he that is mighti hath don to me greet thingis, and his name is holi, and his merci is fro kynrede into kynredis; to men that dreden hym.

§ 48. SPECIMEN OF MODERN ENGLISH.

GEORGE BANCROFT.

1854.

Go forth, then, language of Milton and Hampden, language of my country; take possession of the North American Continent! Gladden the waste places with every tone that has been rightly struck on the English lyre, with every English word that has been spoken well for liberty and man! Give an echo to the now silent and solitary mountains; gush out with the fountains that as yet sing their anthem all day long without response; fill the valleys with the voices of love in its purity, the pledges of friendship in its faithfulness; and as the morning sun drinks the dew-drops from the flowers all the way from the dreary Atlantic to the Peaceful ocean, meet him with the joyous hum of the early industry of freemen! Utter boldly and spread widely through the world the thoughts of the coming apostles of the people's liberty, till the sound that cheers the desert shall thrill through the heart of humanity, and the lips of the messenger of the people's power, as he stands in beauty upon the mountains, shall proclaim the renovating tidings of equal freedom for the race.

What was the last characteristic distinction of Middle English which passed away? In whose reign was Modern English introduced?

CHAPTER V.

DIALECTS AND PROVINCIALISMS.

§ 49. A DIALECT is one branch of a language peculiar to a province, state, or kingdom. Thus, in the Greek language, there were the Attic, the Doric, the Æolic, and the Ionic dialects. A dialect has certain prominent idioms in its vocabulary, pronunciation, or orthography.

DIVERSITIES OF LANGUAGE IN GREAT BRITAIN.

§ 50. Besides the Lowland Scotch, and the Gaelic, and the Welsh languages, there are certain peculiarities which mark the language in different quarters of the island. Thus the language in the Western counties differs from that spoken in the Eastern. The language in the Northern counties differs from that spoken in the Southern, while that of the Midland counties differs from all. These differences have long existed. VERSTIGAN, more than two hundred years ago, gave three different modes of pronouncing the same sentence. One at London would say, "I would eat more cheese if I had it." The Northern man saith, "Ay sud eat mare cheese gin ay had it." And the Western man saith, "Chud eat more cheese an chad it."

LOWLAND SCOTCH.

§ 51. The Lowland Scotch is substantially the same as the English, with certain specific differences in its written vocabulary and pronunciation.

"Our common language," says ELLIS, "was separately formed in the two countries, and owed its identity to its being constructed of similar materials, by similar gradations, and by nations in the same state of society." The Scotch was extensively derived from the Danish, as the English was from the Anglo-Saxon. In the popular works of BURNS and of Sir WALTER SCOTT, we have such abundant specimens of Scotch peculiarities of dialect that it seems to be hardly necessary to give any in this work.

DIALECT OF THE NORTHERN COUNTIES.

§ 52. With many diversities, this is the dialect of Northumberland, which resembles the Lowland Scotch, of Cumberland, Durham, and

What is a dialect? What is said of the dialect of Scotland? What are some of the characteristics of the dialect of the Northern counties?

Westmoreland. To these counties might be added York and Lancaster, Derbyshire and Cheshire. They are, in general, remarkable for a broad pronunciation. In some places o is sounded for a; as hond for hand; eow for ou and ow, as keow, theou, for cow, thou. In some places cauf is sounded for calf; caw for call; con for can; foo for full; howd for hold; hawpenny for halfpenny; twoine for twine.

For specimens, see English Grammar, § 88.

DIALECT OF EAST ANGLIA, OR THE EASTERN COUNTIES.

§ 53. Under the term East Anglia are included the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and portions of other counties bounded upon them. The dialect of East Anglia, then, is the peculiar language of what are called "The Eastern Counties." FORBY remarks that "the most general and pervading characteristic of the pronunciation is a narrowness and tenuity, precisely the reverse of the round, sonorous, 'mouth-filling' tones of Northern English. This narrowness of utterance is, in some parts of this district, rendered still more offensive to ears not accustomed to it by being delivered in a sort of shrill, whining recitative. This has sometimes been called 'the Suffolk whine.' For specimens, see English Grammar, § 89.

DIALECT OF THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES.

§ 54. This may be considered as embracing the peculiarities of Sussex, Kent, and Hampshire, though there are variations in each. In Sussex, hasp is pronounced hapse; neck, nick; throat, throttle; choke, chock. In East Sussex, day is pronounced dee. Ow final is pronounced as er; as window, winder. In Kent, day is pronounced daie; how, who, and who, how.

For specimens, see English Grammar, § 90.

DIALECT OF THE WESTERN COUNTIES.

§ 55. Among these counties, Cornwall, Devonshire, and Somersetshire may be particularly mentioned as having certain peculiarities, as compared with some other parts of England. In some parts of Cornwall and of some other counties, for to milk they say to milky; for to squint, to squnny; for know, knaw; for horses, hosses; for pictures, picters; for with, weth.

See English Grammar, § 91-2.

AMERICAN DIALECTS.

CAUSES OF EXISTING DIALECTICAL DIVERSITIES.

§ 56. One cause is found in the diversities of origin. of the immigrant population of the United States. The

What are some of the characteristics of the dialect of the Eastern counties? What are some of the characteristics of the dialect of the Southern counties? What are some of the characteristics of the dialect of the Western counties? Mention the causes of existing dialectical diversities in the United States.

first settlers, from different parts of England, brought with them the varieties of dialect then existing in the mother country. To these were added the Dutch, or the Low Germanic language of the State of New-York, kindred, indeed, to the English, but differing widely from it; the German, or the High Germanic language, spoken by hundreds of thousands in Pennsylvania and elsewhere; the French and Spanish languages, spoken in Louisiana, Florida, and Mexico; the Irish, the Italian, the Swedish, the Danish, the Norwegian, spoken in small settlements, or by individuals scattered through the mass of the American population. Moreover, Asiatics and Polynesians are pouring themselves into California, and introducing some of their vernacular words into the body of the language, at least as it is spoken there. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants, from different portions of Europe, are every year finding homes in our country, bringing their language with them, to communicate some portion of it to others, and to transmit it to their immediate descendants.

The second cause of existing dialectical varieties in the United States is found in objects of thought peculiar to this country, requiring different terms from those used in England.

CLASSIFICATION OF AMERICANISMS.

§ 57. The peculiarities of the English language, as spoken in America, may be arranged under the following heads:

I. Words borrowed from other languages, with which the English language has come in contact in this country.

1. Indian words, borrowed from the original native tribes. Here belong many geographical proper names; as, Kennebec, Ohio, Tombigbee; also a few appellatives; as sagamore, quahaug, succotash.

2. Dutch words, derived from the first settlers in New York; as, boss, a master; kruller; stoop, the steps of a door.

3. German words, derived from the Germans in Pennsylvania; as, spuke, sauerkraut.

4. French words, derived from the first settlers in Canada and Louisiana; as, bayou, cache, chute, crevasse, levee.

Give the classification of Americanisms, namely, the three divisions and their subdivisions.

5. Spanish words, from the first settlers of Louisiana, Florida, and Mexico; as, calaboose, chaparral, hacienda, rancho, ranchero.

6. Negro words, derived from the Africans; as, buckra. All these are foreign words.

II. Words introduced from the necessity of our situation, in order to express new ideas.

1. Words connected with and flowing from our political institutions; as, selectman, presidential, congressional, caucus, mass-meeting, lynch-law, help for servants.

2. Words connected with our ecclesiastical institutions; as, associational, consociational, to fellowship, to missionate.

3. Words connected with a new country; as lot, a portion of land; diggings, betterments, squatter.

Some of these words are rejected by good writers. They are not of such a nature as to make a new dialect.

III. The remaining peculiarities, the only ones which are truly distinctive, fall for the most part under the following heads:

1. Old words and phrases which have become obsolete in England; as, talented; offset for set-off; back and forth for backward and forward. 2. Old words and phrases which are now merely provincial in England; as, hub, now used in the midland counties of England; whap, a provincialism in Somersetshire; to wilt, now used in the south and west of England.

3. Nouns formed from verbs by adding the French suffix ment; as, publishment for publication; releasement for release; requirement for requisition. As the verbs here are all French, the forms of the nouns are undoubtedly ancient.

4. Forms of words which fill the gap or vacancy between two words which are approved; as, obligate, comp. oblige and obligation; variate, comp. vary and variation. The existence of the two extremes confirms the propriety of the mean.

5. Certain compound terms for which the English have a different compound; as, bank-bill for bank-note; book-store for bookseller's shop; bottom-land for interval land; clapboard for a pale; sea-board for seashore; side-hill for hill-side. The correctness of one compound, in such cases, does not prove the incorrectness of the other.

6. Certain colloquial phrases, apparently idiomatic, and very expressive; as, to cave in, to give up; to flare up, to get excited suddenly; to flunk out, to retire through fear; to fork over, to pay over; to hold on, to wait; to let on, to mention; to stave off, to delay; to take on, to grieve.

7. Certain words used to express intensity, whether as adjectives or adverbs, which is often a matter of mere temporary fashion; as, dreadful, mighty, plaguy, powerful.

8. Certain verbs expressing one's state of mind, but partially or timidly; as, to allot upon, to count upon; to calculate, to expect or believe; to expect, to think or believe; to guess, to think or believe; to reckon, to think or imagine. The use of these words depends much on the temperament of the individual.

9. Certain adjectives, expressing not only the quality, but one's subjective feelings in regard to it; as, clever, grand, green, likely, smart, ugly.

B