The Misused H Of England

There seems no room for doubtins that the h discase had its origin in London. Walker speaks of it asspecially prevaleut in London in his day, and even now it is more common in the pure cockney dialect (the most hateful form of the Engrlish languago in existence) than anywhere in England. Moreover, its prevalonce in other places than London is greater or less accordingly as such places are ncarer or father from the metropolis. We find no trace of it in Cornwall or Wales; pery little in Cumberland, Northumberland, and Yorkshiro. In the midland counties it is less common than in the southern. It is at its maximum in the hoart of London. In this respect it is like the v-and-w malady, which, even at its height (it has now nearly died out), was never so badly feit in the provinces as in tue metropolis; though of courso, like all metropolitan defects, it spread in greater or less degrees over the whole country. This being the case, we aro justitied in assuming that the disease had at first that form which is characteristic of the faults of langaage found at great centers of population, and especially in the chief city of tlio nation. lf you wish to hear French clipped and slurred you should go to Paris, and Germán suffers like tmitment in Vienna and Berlin. It is the same with English in London. In a great and busy city, men shorten their words and sentenoes as much as possiblo, boing assured that what theysay will bo uudorstood, because all speafc the same language and adopt the samo convenient abbreviations. Thus, jiist as in Paris cette femme becomes cHc, f me, and Voila ce que c'esl becomes Vla c' 'q c' est. so in London Cili Bank becomo, CHi B'ak, halfpcnny is abndged first to hd'penny and then to hapnt or 'apny. Ómnibus is shortened into 'bus; everyono in it addresses tho conductor as 'ductor; the conductor shortens tho cry of all righl into ;!, anuounces the thrcopcuny fare as tkripus, and so forth. In fact, it may bo laid down as a general proposition that, although a languago becomes moditied in jrovincial places and in colonies, it isoniy in busy cities, and chielly in capital cities, that a lanaruaírt! is modiried by clippin"; and slurrinsf.-