RHETORICAL PURITY. Foreign words that are not fully domesticated should be rejected, when it is possible to find pure English words that adequately express the meaning. Some foreign words have been so long in use that they have become familiar to ordinary readers, while others express the idea intended more accurately than any native word. They are such as ennui, nom de plume, fiat, ignoramus, quorum, incognito, and anathema. Such words as these may be used sparingly, but many of the words that are found in newspapers and other corrupters of our language should be peremptorily rejected. Do not venture to use such words as émeute, politesse, dernier ressort, n'importe, nous verrons. Obsolete words are such as were once current in the language, but are now fallen into disuse. No absolute rule can be given to determine when a word has become so far obsolete that it can be no longer used; but it may be taken for granted that when words are unintelligible to ordinary readers, the only safe course in prose is to select others in their stead. Such words as erst, whilom, wist, behest, and irks, add dignity to poetic diction, but in prose are to be carefully eschewed. New Words. - From a variety of sources new words are being continually introduced into the language. Some of these, such as those required to unfold the principles of a new science, have from the first a recognized standing; some, being used only in conversation and in newspapers, soon disappear forever, while others rise to respectability and become thoroughly established in the language. The rule to follow in regard to the latter class is, not to use them. Do not say deputize for commission, effectuate for effect, eventuate for end. Low Words. There is a large class of words that are much used in conversation, and that are continually struggling for a place in the written language. As they are generally brief, and frequently used, they are felt to be very expressive. This, no doubt, accounts for the fact that many of them have risen to colloq tia) respectability, while some have become recognized as a part of our written vocabulary, e.g. mob, cab, bus. Social Meanings. One kind of slang consists in using thoroughly established words with a "social" meaning. Thus people say "jolly," "plucky," "dodge," and such like. Others fancy themselves clever when they speak of "the rosy," "the fragrant weed," or "the governor," while others from sheer laziness, that prevents their taking the trouble to select the right word, fall into the habit of using some slang expression in a great variety of meanings. With them everything is "immense," "beastly," "stunning," "nasty," "jolly," "splendid," or "just lovely." Besides these, there is another kind of slang peculiar to almost every business or profession. The student is "plucked," the business man is "busted," and the tradesman is "gone up." And when any of them die, they are gone aloft." 66 How to Find what is Good Usage. It is not to be expected that young persons can know whether words have all the marks of good usage or not. The common way of determining is to refer to the dictionary. It is the duty of the lexicographer to find out these points and to record them for our guidance, so that it is customary to regard all words found in the dictionary as of recognized authority, unless the contrary is stated. A barbarism is an expression the use of which violates the rule that in language good usage is reputable, national, and present. A solecism is a violation of the laws of Syntax. Divided Usage. As the usage of good writers is not by any means uniform, no one of them is to be followed absolutely. DIRECTION. EXERCISE XV. PURITY. Correct all violations of Purity in the following sentences. PART I. 1. He succeeded in enthusing the company. 2. He wired him as soon as the office opened in the morning. 3. The demagogue tendeth more to words than to works. 4. He told me a long rigmarole about what happened. 5. I go where likes me best. 6. I wot not which to admire most, his délicatesse, his candidness, or his amiableness. 7. Thou needest not pretend to be from France, for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 8. Any one can see with half an eye that he has got the blues. 9. He is in the swim with the other politicians. 10. This change of fortune has almost transmogrified him. II. The king soon found reason to repent him of provoking these dangerous enemies. 12. I opine that any gentleman who devotes his time to the beaux arts and belles lettres enjoys the highest agréments of life. 13. He remarked en passant that his friend had much esprit de corps. 14. I confess that I was unmitigatedly disappointed with Mr. Proctor's lecture on Tuesday evening. 15. He has a tendency to talk nonsense occasionally, or something very like blague. 16. They have taken a journey out West for the purpose of recuperating their health. 17. Several circumstances seem to militate against that idea. 18. Everything may not be so saturated with couleur de rose. 19. He seems to be a harum scarum sort of a mortal, who takes great delight in doing outré things. 20. The temptation to run a toll-gate seems to be irresistible to a bicycler. 21. His father was a true blue Revolution soldier, and his mother a sincere Christian. 22. His style of writing was such as to enable people to clearly understand him. 23. These rooms are generally occupied by the more quiet inclined of the travelling public. 24. There is some agitation over the impracticable character of the instruction of our public schools.) PART II. 25. The three months are passed, and Shylock is wild for the fulfilment of his bond. 26. He has just received a cablegram informing him of the death of his friend. 27. Do you catch on to his meaning? 28. I never heard such a lovely singer before. 29. He gets rattled over the merest trifles. 30. That man is all broken up on works of ceramic art. 31. The people of the Hebrew persuasion expect to return to live in Palestine. 32. The liquor business is run because it is profitable. 33. Let me tell you sub rosa he behaves just comme il faut. 34. He tries to bulldoze the House, but his pretences are far too thin. 35. That will not go, it is altogether too thin. 36. He just scraped through his exam., and he is in for making his pile. 37. A teacher cannot afford to experimentalize. 38. He took the shibboleth of his party. 39. When he got to that town he found himself strapped. 40. He was somewhat addicted to wrath and usquebaugh. 41. The Society intends to excurt on the 4th of July. 42. He will get himself into a fix some day. 43. They have determined to rendezvous near Qu'Appelle. 44. His house was burglarized the day after he sent in his declamature. 45. He is not thoroughly posted on that subject. 46. I am greatly beholden to you. 47. Having acquired the savoir faire, he is never afraid of making a faux pas, and in every conversation plunges in medias res. 48. The fair débuttante is on the look-out for un bon parti, but her nez retroussé is against her. 49. She is accompanied by mamma en grande toilette, who, entre nous, looks rather ridée, even in the gas light. DIRECTION. EXERCISE XVI. PURITY. Examine each word and determine which may be used and which should be rejected. In all cases of doubt, refer to some standard dictionary. 1. Donate, on dit, tapis, siesta, ungallantry, confutant disillusioned, blaze, soupçon, imprimatur. 2. Buildress, enthuse, gent, pant, gubernatorial, hydropathy, electropathy, experimentalize, controversialist, walkist. 3. Practitioner, proven, reliable, disposable, anchorable, complainable, unrepentable, preventative, casuality, resurrected. 4. Incurable, paragraphist, agriculturist, stabbist, intercessed, flattress, presidential, multerosity, role, fabulosity. 5 Gallantness, obloquy, periculous, moonrise, docible, ovate, memento, née, locate. 6. Soi-disant, acrobat, traducement, kraal, distingué, amende, amour-propre, skedaddle, opaque, confutement. 7. Cablegram, ivorytype, credibleness, ultimatum, incertain, exonerableness, persiflage, parvenu, verbatim, atelier. 8. Misaffected, fête, plateau, spirituel, fauteuil, confutant, optigraph, employé, alibi, saleslady. 9. Currentness, impromptu, patois, fashionist, jumpist, matin, mulish, protégé, obedential, dilettante. 10. Boycott, Copperhead, blue-stocking, incog, cablegram, cute, educationalist, suicided, reportorial, spec. |